The Devil You Know
by Wes Imlay
Summary: Set during the First Cylon War: In order to save the colony of Canceron from being overrun by the Cylons, the government of the Twelve Colonies will negotiate with the criminal syndicate that runs the organized crime on the colony.
1. Chapter 1: Good Intentions

**The Devil You Know**

**Written by: Wes Imlay**

"_**Better the devil you know than the devil you don't"**_**: A saying that means ****it is better to deal with a person or thing you know, even if you do not like them, than to deal with a new person or thing that could be even worse.**

_**Chapter One: Good Intentions**_

Three Years before the fall of the Colonies:

Colonel Artimus Bowman, Executive Officer of the battlestar _Cerberus_, sat in the study of the Delphi house coming to terms with the events that had transpired three days ago. His grandfather, Archibald Bowman, had passed away at the age of seventy-two. The man who was more of a father to him than his actual father was no longer here. He had been granted emergency leave; and he had departed the _Cerberus_ for what felt like the longest Raptor ride of his life. The house his grandparents lived in was crowded with family and friends, among them his parents. Steven and Eliza Bowman had come from their house in the small town of Oasis; and the moments between father and son felt as though there was a forced civility between the two.

Archibald Bowman's mind had been going for some time before his passing; even that light in his eyes had faded according to what information his grandmother had passed along. The Tolans had done what they could to help pay for the care required for a man in his condition, care that probably went a long way to helping Archibald Bowman survive longer than other people with this disease that robbed a person of their mind, their dignity, and ultimately their life.

His grandmother, Claire Bowman, was being looked after by three of the most important women in Artimus' life. His wife Brooke was doing all she could to make the situation easier on her grandmother-in-law; and providing further help were Emily and Lacey Tolan. Artimus knew Emily from his friendship with her husband, Rear Admiral Scott Tolan. Lacey, Scott Tolan's first-cousin, was like a niece to Artimus and Brooke. She was a senior at Conall High School in Clio, Canceron and had been excused from her classes to come to Caprica.

Brooke had insisted that he come to his grandfather's study, to have some time to reflect and collect his thoughts. He sat at the desk and looked at the volumes of book that lined a small bookshelf.

Instinctively, his hands reached for a brown leather-bound volume. In gold leaf lettering were the words 'Journal of Archibald Bowman' and beneath it read 'The Cylon War'. This was his grandfather's journal chronicling his time spent as a Search and Rescue Raptor pilot during his time in the Colonial Fleet during the war.

When Artimus wanted to enlist in the Colonial Fleet, his grandfather had brought him into this study and had him sit at this desk. He had removed the journal and handed it to him, telling him to take the time to read every page and know what it was life to serve in the military during the war with the Cylons. If he wanted to enlist after that, then he had his blessing.

Artimus opened the book and thumbed through the pages. **He** **soon noticed that there was a break in the pages of the middle of the book. Something was squeezed inside** **and was dividing a section of the journal. He opened it up and found a small crumpled photograph that was clearly acting as a bookmark. The photograph was of a Colonial Raptor on the Hangar Deck of a Battlestar. Two men were standing infront of it one of whom he recognized as a much younger version of his own now deceased grandfather but he didn't recognize the man standing next to him who appeared to be his grandfather's ECO. There were very few pictures from those dark days that Archibald Bowman held onto since he preferred to keep images in his own memory; a tragedy in itself given the fate that befell the man's mind. Archibald 'Firefly' Bowman had numerous ECOs during his career so it was not easy for Artimus to simply place the man. Therefore he looked down at the page it was marking for an answer. **Eventually an entry caught his eye; it read 'Mission to Canceron with Admiral Stryker.' From his friendship with Scott Tolan, Artimus had an idea of what life was like on Canceron. He had formed an opinion of both the colony and the Basileus Crime Syndicate by reading this one journal entry. When he had met Tolan during their mission to rescue President Adar's sister and niece, it had even colored his opinion of the man who would ultimately become one of his closest friends.

**Without even realizing he was doing so his mind became enthralled in the entry on the pages before him. He had read it once before but his mind had largely cast out what had happened, replaced by events in his own life. Through his now more experienced eyes he read about this particular exploit during his grandfather's life as if it were for the first time. If anything it would give him a welcome diversion from the family storm that had encircled him**.

* * *

Forty-Two Years before the fall: 

The hangar deck of the Battlestar _Columbia _was filled with the frantic sounds of the usual activity of a ship at war. Vipers were being run through their diagnostics check; Raptors were being fueled to carry out their vital supporting role of providing Electronic Warfare support. Tankers sat ready to be launched to keep the air wing flying so as to not waste time landing to refuel. To the casual observer the entire deck seemed crowded and chaotic. This couldn't be further from the truth. The whole scene was actually conducted like an immense string orchestra with every one playing their part in the symphony that is a Battlestar.

Standing off to the side, a man in dress grays watched the hive of activity with eyes that resembled a proud father watching his children growing up to become adults and making their own life. This was a dream come true for him, the result of years of hard work as well as much trial and error. The _Columbia_, the lead ship of the class of twelve Battlestars, was serving as the flagship of Battlestar Division One. This division, also consisting of the Battlestars _Galactica_, _Athena_, and _Courageous,_ garnered the title of the 'tip of the sword' by the higher-ups in the Colonial Fleet.

He checked his watch, knowing that in a minute or so his two pilots should be here. Fleet Admiral Jonas Ingram Stryker had a mission to complete today, a high-level negotiation with a group that most civilized people of the Twelve Colonies detested. The Basileus Crime Syndicate was the sole group that ran the organized crime on the colony of Canceron; and now it seemed they might be needed to fend off the Cylons on the colony. The news in the past week had been grim…

The cities of Romanos, Nicomedia, Smyrna, Viar, Tryavna, and Amarna had fallen to the Cylons, sending refugees into the rural interior country of the continents as the Cylons put captured soldiers and citizens to death. The only metropolis left was the city of Iopolis; and it was reported that the Cylons would head there next. Before this renewed Cylon offensive the Colonial forces had fought a bloody stalemate for five years. It seemed the toasters were finally turning the tide in what had been war of attrition.

The Basileus could be an asset in this case; just a matter of what type of deal could be negotiated. The President had ordered him to make concessions as long as they were not too unreasonable. Right now it was important to find a way to hold Canceron; none of the colonies had completely fallen to the Cylons and Stryker did not want to see that trend reversed. For over a year now he had pressured President Gwyneth Morrigan for approval to recruit the Basileus, but had been rebuffed each time. With the recent turn of fortune on the colony, the President felt it best to think 'outside the box' on certain issues.

Stryker saw two men walking towards him in their gold flight suits, he surmised that these must be the Raptor pilot and ECO accompanying him on this mission. The two flight crew had been selected for this mission by Stryker based on the reputation they had gained. These two men were part of a very special group of pilots within the fleet whose courage, which often bordered on sheer recklessness, had become both legendary and reassuring to their fellow pilots and air crew for these men were part of the Combat Search And Rescue force – a truly elite group. It was their job to fly in the face of enemy fire ranging from slingshots to Raiders and SAM missile batteries in order to bring downed pilots or wounded Marines back home safely.

The life expectancy of a CSAR pilot and ECO was understandably low.

The two men stood at attention and saluted, "Captain Archibald Bowman and Lieutenant Vincent Zeresi as ordered, sir!"

Stryker returned the salute, "At ease, men. So…You two are the pilots I've heard so much about. 'Firefly' and 'Govie' if I'm not mistaken?

"Yes sir!" said Bowman firmly.

"When someone drops the ball, we get the call, sir!" chanted Zeresi.

"Very good, Is your Raptor ready to depart?"

"The deck gang should have her fueled and ready for departure within the next fifteen minutes," Bowman said.

"Very well, I'm going to have a word with Commander Thane and then we'll leave for Canceron," Stryker said before turning away from the two men and leaving the hangar deck.

"That's the man himself; we are on a mission with Admiral Stryker…," Zeresi said with absolute awe.

"I imagined he'd be taller," Bowman said which drew a look from Zeresi. "What? I always thought he was ten feet tall and bulletproof."

The two of them turned and began to walk across the Hangar Deck towards their Raptor. Zeresi was particularly pleased about their assignment to Canceron and felt it necessary to voice his opinion.

"Wow, we're going to Canceron. Do you know how awesome the beaches there are?" Zeresi asked in an attempt to change the subject.

"No, can't say I do."

"Beaches and beautiful women… Gods I love wearing this uniform!"

Bowman shook his head, "I joined up to fight the Cylons and you joined up to get laid. You might not be doing the people of Virgon much of a service. Let's not forget how you earned your call sign 'Govie'."

"You're really going to go there? It wasn't that big of a deal!"

"We caught you having sex in a government vehicle… Did you even know the woman?"

Zeresi thought about it, "Actually, I don't remember her name. I just know she wanted to thank me for keeping us safe from the Cylons."

"You are so noble," Bowman said in a voice that dripped with sarcasm.

"It's as interesting as you ending up with 'Firefly' as your call sign?"

Bowman had been on Caprica for Raptor training when some tylium had spilled onto the runway. The spilt fuel accidentally lit during takeoff, giving the appearance of the Raptor leaving a trail of fire while flying off into the air.

"It's different for me I suppose, you have a family waiting for you back home."

The mention of his wife and son brought a familiar stab of pain to Bowman's heart. It was part of why he wanted this damn war over with. He knew Claire could handle things at home without him; but he worried the effect his absence was having on their son Steven.

"Yeah, and it's something I have to deal with every day."

"I do see a silver lining to this; all this time we've flown together you have been a great wingman when we're on the ground."

"That's right, and you still try to pawn the friends off on me so you can be alone with the girl."

"Yes, and I thank you for taking one for the team even if you always turn down the opportunity for the extra bit of fun."

The two men suddenly stopped before a rather unusual looking Raptor. It was not the familiar sandy brown colour of the standard Raptor but was a deep grey. Scabbed onto the angled nose just below the bulbous cockpit was the specialized DRADIS 'pimple'. This was a more advanced version of the standard Raptor's DRADIS array and it could detect a human shaped figure from low to medium orbit. Mounted just below that was a camera turret that was equipped with a plethora of visual sensors ranging from normal digital imagining to infra-red and ultra-violet. These sensors were powerful enough to distinguish between a human or Cylon even if they were in the dense vegetation of the Demeter Jungle on Scorpia. They could even tell if the person they were focusing on was alive or dead although this rarely made a difference since most CSAR crews would try to bring a body back for proper burial. The hull had several additional bulges each housing specialized equipment to help fulfill its primary role; this was a Combat Search And Rescue equipped Raptor – the mount of the heroic, the brave, and the foolish.

Stryker appeared before either man could say more. "Are we ready for departure?" he asked Bowman.

"We'll be ready in a minute; I just need to confirm that the maintenance scheduled for today has been completed." Bowman walked off and a few minutes later returned to confirm that they were in fact ready for departure.

"Excellent! When we take off I'll give you the coordinates we'll be going to on Canceron." Stryker followed the two pilots to the Raptor.

Bowman settled into his pilot's seat and Zeresi took his seat the Electronic Countermeasures Station in the rear of the Raptor. He could not help but feel a sense of apprehension began to form in the pit of his stomach. He had flown many search and rescue missions but this was different. Out there he knew what to expect when he was rescuing pilots. This time he was going on what felt like a cloak-and-dagger mission and not knowing what would happen did not sit well with him.

When the Raptor left _Columbia_ Stryker pulled a piece of paper out of his uniform pocket and handed it to Bowman, "We're landing at Fort Nellis, and from there we are proceeding to Iopolis. There we will rendezvous with the Basileus and try to get them to help us with an upcoming operation."

"If I may ask, what does the military want the Basileus for?"

"We're planning to take troops from the more protected colonies and deploy them to Canceron and Tauron to help drive the Cylons out. It's been given the title 'Operation Dragoon' and the surge in troop numbers should be enough to make a difference. The Basileus can help move weapons and supplies; they know the terrain of Canceron better than anyone. "

"I hope you're right, sir; it just seems strange to trust one of the more powerful crime syndicates in the Colonies."

"I understand, Major Bowman; but we are living in strange times," Stryker said, his gaze staring out the window of the Raptor into the empty void of space.

None of the men spoke the rest of the trip to Canceron. The colony was renowned for its beautiful beaches and its charming rural country; however now it was a warzone and with the recent turn of events on the colony it was probably going to be a very dangerous place to be a human.

Stryker knew his mind would be on the upcoming meeting with Carl Tolan. He had taken so many steps to make sure the leader of the Basileus would trust him enough to meet face-to-face. There was also the need to keep the negotiations as under the table as possible, the general public knew the Colonial government was doing all it could to fight the Cylons but making deals with gangsters might cause a backlash.

He thought about the war and realized that this would be one of the few times he would actually be in a combat zone. Since his appointment as CINCCF, Commander In Chief of Colonial Fleet, he had spent most of his time away from the fighting in strategy meetings and other duties that came with the job.

**Sitting beside him** Archibald Bowman's mind went to his family, as it was prone to do whenever he had a moment of quiet. He had heard the saying that the truth was the first casualty in war, but he was wondering if family life was a close second. The letters he had received from his wife Claire were disheartening, especially when it came to their fourteen-year old son Steven. It seemed that he was starting to rebel, and it was not the average teenage rebellion that was to be expected.

The thought of doing business with the Basileus sent a chill down his spine. While he was from Caprica, the Canceron-based crime syndicate had earned a feared reputation for the way it went about its business. Murder, extortion, racketeering, gambling, and those were at the tip of the iceberg. Carl Tolan was not a man one did business with lightly, the man seemed to know how to work an angle to his advantage and something told him this would be no different. The only question was how much the Colonies would have to sacrifice of its collective soul to defeat the Cylons.

Zeresi looked over the various buttons and screens at his ECM station in the rear of the Raptor. He would never admit it, especially after the way he had talked earlier to Bowman about the mission, but he **too** had a feeling about this mission that he could not shake. He did not want to say that something was going to go wrong, but he felt that it was a definite possibility when it came to this particular mission. There was the danger from the Cylons on Canceron and then there was the danger that came from the Basileus. Perhaps his bravado and eagerness to have sex with as many women as possible on the colony was just something to cover up the concern he was actually dealing with.

Bowman punched in the coordinates and in a flash they were looking at Canceron. There was a large fleet of Colonial ships, including several battlestars, orbiting the planet. All of this must have been a part of the defense plan in case the Cylons decided to land more troops on the planet in order to secure it at last.

"Raptor Six Three One this is _Kreios_ Actual," The voice of Admiral Thomas Hood said. He was the flag officer in charge of battlestar group eleven; the _Kreios_ was the flagship of the group of six battlestars currently in orbit around Canceron to keep the colony safe from invasion.

"Actual this is Stryker, good to know we have you up there while we're on the planet."

"Good luck down there, we'll keep the toasters from sending reinforcements your way."

The connection was severed, and the Raptor entered the atmosphere and made its way towards Fort Nellis and from there would be the initial meeting with Carl Tolan.

The Raptor bucked hard as it was buffeted by the atmosphere of Canceron upon its entry. Bowman kept his focus on the controls and made sure he did not give either Stryker or Zeresi reason to panic. He had gone into battles where the Cylons were trying to shoot at him while he was undertaking a rescue, in a way his job was perhaps one of the most dangerous in the Colonial Fleet for a pilot. Eventually the clouds passed and beneath them were the blue seas of Canceron and the green countryside that marked the interior of the continents. Apart from Caprica Beach, Canceron had the finest beaches in all of the Colonies. Iopolis, their destination for meeting with Carl Tolan, was located along the north western continent, Niketas, which lay across the Abaris Ocean from the continent of Elara. He had heard Zeresi talk about Elara, it was the location of the famed Scythia Beach.

A few moments later the voice of the Air Traffic Controller from the Fort Nellis compound came on his frequency and directed him to the location on the air field where he would land the Raptor. Once they landed, Styrker exited the Raptor and told them to wait there since he would not be gone long.

"Welcome to Canceron, you may now grab your belongings and prepare to exit the cabin. Enjoy your stay and thank you once again for flying Air Bowman," Bowman said in an attempt to sound like a flight steward on a Colonial heavy transport ship.

"Well steward I just want to say that the in-flight movie was non-existent and the stewardesses on this flight were ugly enough to make me go celibate!" Zeresi declared as he stood up from his ECO station and stretched his legs.

"My apologies sir, allow me to fly you all the way back to Caprica and you can board another flight to return to this location. Perhaps you won't be such a bastard and complain about your service."

"Can I at least get a snack?"

Bowman made a show of looking around the area of his seat before throwing up his hands in defeat, "I am so sorry sir, and it seems our last bag of snacks was consumed prior to landing. I hope this won't discourage you from flying with us again."

Zeresi sat back down, "That settles it, worst flight of my life!"

The two pilots erupted in laughter before starting their basic pre-flight checks. They had done this before leaving _Columbia_, but it never hurt to go over it again now that they had landed…just in case.

Their initial checks finished the two went over more maintence checks in case something was knocked loose during the entry into Canceron's atmosphere. They finished that and waited for Stryker to return.

Stryker came out of the Administration Building followed by a man neither recognized. He wore the Colonial Fleet uniform, and looked to have the rank of Lieutenant.

"Gentlemen I would like to introduce you to Lieutenant Peter Corman, he will be accompanying us to Iopolis for the meeting with Carl Tolan," Stryker said as Corman exchanged a handshake with Zeresi and a salute with Bowman.

"With all due respect sir, why is he coming with us?" Bowman asked.

"Because Captain Bowman, I have been stationed here on Canceron for the past three years. I know plenty about the Basileus and how they operate. If you want to be able to successfully conclude this negotiation then you will need me there, "Corman stated matter-of-factly.

"Are we ready to leave for Iopolis?" Bowman asked.

"Yes, the sooner we get there the better. Just so you know Bowman, we'll be travelling over some Cylon held territory. Keep an eye out for any SAMs the toasters will want to shoot our way," Stryker cautioned.

"Not a problem sir, with my piloting and Govie's skills we'll be able to make it without a scratch."

"I have to ask, how did Mr. Zeresi acquire the nickname 'Govie'?" Stryker asked though Bowman could see that Corman was interested as well."

"Well Admiral it's a very long story but let's just say it involved a Caprica diplomat's car and a female acquaintance."

"I see, well let's hope Govie can stay on good behavior while we're here. This isn't the time to go acting like a drunken college student," Corman said.

"I'll make sure he stays on his best behavior," Bowman said.

"See to it Captain Bowman, he's your responsibility," Stryker said as he entered the Raptor followed by Corman.

"Lords of Kobol hear my prayers…" Bowman quietly said before entering the Raptor. Dealing with the Cylons trying to blow up his Raptor in space did not seem as daunting of a task as trying to keep Vincent 'Govie' Zeresi from sleeping with a woman and possibly causing trouble with the Basileus.


	2. Chapter 2: Hot Spot

_**Chapter Two: Hot Spot**_

Three Years Before the Fall:

At his grandparents' house in Delphi, Artimus Bowman sat his grandfather's journal down on his lap and looked out the window. The streets of the city were filled with people going about their business as the warm Caprican sun shown down on them. He tried to get in the mindset his grandfather would have been in on Canceron. A colony that was a beautiful as it was deadly, whether from the Cylons or the Basileus. He thought to his junior year of high school when his grandparents had an offer from a family friend to go visit Scythia Beach on the colony. Archibald Bowman told Artimus him that he and his grandmother were more than welcome to go to Canceron but he preferred to stay away from the place.

He had wondered what could have to taken place to make him want to forsake ever setting foot on an entire planet. Lost in thought he did not hear the door open or the person enter the room…

"Uncle Artimus?" the voice behind him asked.

As lost in thought as he was, Artimus jumped slightly in the chair. He managed to startle both himself and Lacey Tolan.

"Hey Lace! Sorry about that, I was somewhere else for a second there."

"I could tell…how are you holding up?"

Artimus nearly shrugged his shoulders but did not. He had become tired of having been asked the same question countless times by now and yet he was still no closer to an answer, "I'm going to be alright, just taking it all in and trying to process it. What brings you here?"

"Aunt Brooke wanted me to check on you. Make sure you're ok up here?" she quietly explained. Her eyes suddenly fell away from Artimus as if to look for some imaginary script that had been placed on the floor with what she needed to say to him at a time like this.

"Lace!" he uttered almost in a whisper. She looked up at him. "I'm ok. Honest." She nodded gently but stayed silent. She was clearly upset about something. He placed his grandfather's journal down on the table and walked upto her. Instinctively the two of them embraced in a loving and tender fashion. He kissed her gently on the forehead and asked, "Are _you_ ok?"

"Yes," she lied for his sake but Artimus wasn't fooled. He pushed her away from him and cast her an accusing look. "It's…your father."

Artimus arched an angry eyebrow, "What did he do?"

"He implied that he can understand Emily being here because she's friends with Aunt Brooke but my being here makes no sense. Essentially I am crashing a private family affair and have no business being here." Artimus had to fight the overwhelming urge to go put his father in his place, it seemed Lacey read this. "Your grandmother actually took care of him, so you can stay here and not cause the Second Cylon War. Thank you anyway though," she reached up and gently placed a kiss on her honorary uncle's cheek.

"Thank you Lace, you look tired though. You should probably go lay down in the guest room."

She smiled at him, "That trip from Canceron took a lot out of me; I think I'll do that."

Lacey turned to leave. Suddenly a thought jumped into his mind and before he could stop himself it had traveled down to his mouth and blurted passed his lips.

"Sorry Lace, I do have one question for you. If you don't mind me asking," Artimus said before she could get to the door.

"Ask anything you want, I'll try to answer it."

"Your grandfather paid for Scott to go to Abry Military Academy and asked your aunt to raise you when your parents died. Why did he do that?"

Lacey thought about it for a couple of moments before replying, "I think he wanted to redeem himself. To me it seemed he held himself responsible for what happened to Andrew, and wanted to do right by at least one of his grandchildren. Aunt Sylvia got the chance to raise a child who would not be under the influence of the Basileus and he got to assuage his conscience. It's sort of like a industry baron who starts a charity so the public won't think of the workers they may have trampled over while building their empire."

'So Carl Tolan had a conscience during his later years,' Artimus thought to himself before saying, "Thanks Lace that clears up a lot for me. Enjoy your nap."

Lacey simply nodded and smiled at him before leaving the room. Artimus thought to himself how she really had turned into a fine young woman; along with Scott she proved that not all the Tolans were hardened criminals. He looked at his grandfather's journal and picked it up to read more of the mission to Canceron.

Forty-three years before the Fall:

Carl Tolan sat behind the desk in his office at the Nereus Tower in the business district of Iopolis. Before him stood the Patera family, the owners of an electronics business based on Canceron, here to settle a dispute over protection money that had not been paid recently due to the Cylon incursion on the colony.

Carl Tolan's eyes were narrow and beady as he stared at the family assembled before him. He had seen this ploy made by the desperate before. It didn't work then so why should it work now?

"Mr. Patera, you have come here with your family to ask for more time to pay the money you owe me. You honestly believe that your wife, kids, and sister can sway me?"

Arnold Patera stood forward, "Mr. Tolan the Cylons disrupted my business and the money just isn't there. It's not that I won't pay you, I just need time to get my business back on its feet and then I will pay you as soon as I can."

"I see, so you expect me to put my own personal affairs on hold until some unforeseen time in the future?"

"Please sir, you know we've been able to make the payments to you on time before the Cylons invaded. All we ask you for is a little leniency on this," Karen Patera, Arnold's sister, said in an attempt to reason with the leader of the Basileus.

Tolan let out a long sigh and nodded his head, "You're right, I do need to show some leniency here. I will do just that."

The family looked relieved at this statement, which is exactly what Tolan wanted. He pulled a gun out from one of the desk drawers and drilled Karen Patera between the eyes with a single shot; she was dead before her body even hit the floor. The killing had been in one swift movement and it took Arnold and his family a few moments to realize what had happened. Arnold's children shrieked in terror as their mother rushed to hold them and in a vain attempt at protection she covered them with her body.

"Why did you shoot her, she didn't do anything to you?" Patera's wife cried once the shock wore off.

Tolan shrugged his shoulders, "I guess she should have."

He saw the time and knew his appointment with Admiral Stryker was coming up soon, "Go back to your business and get me the damn money. I don't care how you get it, but get it to me or the next shot will be aimed at your wife or kids. Get out of my sight before I decide to use my gun to make a further point to you."

The terrified family left the room in a hurry. Tolan stood up and saw the bloodstains on the carpet. 'That's going to be a pain to clean out'. Worse was the body that was taking up space. He would have to get one of his 'cleaners' to take care of that before the admiral arrived.

Flying through the air and resembling a bulbous grey Hornet the CSAR Raptor made its way over the rural countryside of Canceron. This part of the trip would be easy as the Cylons had yet to push this far inland. When they got closer to Amarna it would be a different story as the Cylons had taken the city and had undoubtedly set up SAM sites to keep the Colonials from landing reinforcements thus hindering their effort to retake the city.

"Hello, can anyone hear me?" a woman's voice crackled over the Raptor's radio.

"This is CSAR Raptor Seven-Four-Nine; please identify yourself!" Bowman asked.

"This is Gunnery Sergeant Eve Gadara; I have a recon force that went into Amarna to assess the Cylon forces. They were ambushed and five of the nine were killed in action. The other four are trapped in a skyscraper and need evac before the Cylons overwhelm them."

"This is Raptor Seven-Four-Nine, give us the coordinates and we'll have them out in no time!"

"They are near the top floor of the Aghavni Tower on the southeastern corner of the city, I'll send you the coordinates."

"Firefly, we have the coordinates and I've set them in the nav computer. Let's go get us some jarheads!"

Corman spoke up, "I have to protest, this is too important to risk lives!"

"With all due respect Lt. Corman…wait a sec, I outrank you. In that case, sit down and shut up!" Bowman said in a voice that would have made a drill instructor proud.

"Don't you get it? This isn't just any man we're carrying on board. This is Admiral Jonas Ingram Stryker, Admiral of the Fleet!"

"Really, I thought he was some actor we were carrying on a goodwill tour." Bowman said through gritted teeth.

"This guy is an actor? I thought we were doing a taxi service as a second job!" Zeresi chimed in.

"Enough!" boomed Stryker over the top of all of them in an attempt to diffuse the tension between Corman and the pilots. "This is Captain Bowman's Raptor, if he feels he is not putting the mission in danger then it's his call. After all he and Lt. Zeresi are trained for this type of role"

"Thank you sir, we are heading to Amarna," Bowman said as he turned the nose of the Raptor towards the Cylon-occupied city.

Nobody spoke for what seemed like an eternity. Eventually the rural country side gave way to sprawling suburbs and in the horizon loomed the skyline of Amarna.

"You ready Govie?" Bowman asked, though he knew the answer.

"You're late with the ECM one time and a guy can't live it down!" Zeresi declared before laughing.

"Well if it wasn't for my flying that missile would have taken us out now wouldn't it?" Bowman ribbed Zeresi.

"You two remind me of a married couple," muttered Corman.

"Shut up!" Bowman and Zeresi said almost at the same time.

Both Corman and Stryker merely sat and watched as Bowman and Zeresi carried their respective tasks. It was as if either of them interfered with so much as a hiccup then they would bring disaster upon them. Both Bowman and Zeresi worked like a, dare-it-be-said, well oiled machine. Despite their little jokes they were both consummate professionals dedicated to the mission at hand.

Bowman kept the Raptor low over the city using the near derelict buildings as cover in order to limit their exposure to Cylon air defenses. Corman's hands seemed to turn red under the pressure he was putting on them as he held onto the cargo netting as though he were holding onto his own life. Bowman was swooping the Raptor between the buildings closer than most could have thought possible. On more than one occasion the roar of the little ship's engines shattered the remaining glass in the broken windows as it passed over. This low level approach seemed to work as they managed to penetrate into the centre of the city without taking any anti-aircraft fire.

"Govie, open a wireless channel with the Marines!" ordered Bowman. "When we hit the roof I don't want anyone leaving this Raptor or boarding it without an I-SAY-SO!"

The building was now in sight and in one swift move Bowman raised the nose and the Raptor surged into the air. He maintained the steep climb until it became level with the roof. As the building seemed to pass underneath Bowman raised the nose again but this time cut the power to the main engines. The Raptor tilted upwards but only climbed a few feet. The vertical thrusters were now pointing forward and the Raptor quickly decelerated until its speed reached zero – directly over the roof of the building! Bowman reduced power to the vertical thrusters and lowered the skids before the Raptor landed with a heavy thud.

Zeresi let him know that he had got the frequency opened and moments later he was directing the Marines up from their location on the eighty-fifth floor to the roof. The door to the roof burst open and the Marines ran as fast as they could to the waiting Raptor. Bowman had anticipated this and opened the entrance hatch allowing the Marines to quickly jump in. There were nine of them in total and it was a particularly tight squeeze.

With the hatch closed, Bowman applied full throttle to the vertical thrusters and the Raptor lifted off the roof and put on as much speed as he could to get them out of Amarna. Something had told him it was too easy and not long after his instincts were proven correct when the sky around them seemed to fill with bursts of flak. Following that was Zeresi's wailing of the word that pilots have feared for centuries, "SAM!" Smoke trails from SAMs being launched in their direction snaked their way through the sky like a nest of Vipers angrily disturbed by the sight of the Raptor. It made sense to him now, the Cylons must have realized the Raptor was there to rescue the trapped Marines and what more efficient way than to get shoot them out of the sky in one fell swoop.

"Hang on tight everyone; it's going to be a rough ride!" Bowman shouted as he watched two long white trails arching down on top of them. Bowman threw the Raptor into a hard right turn the likes of which the two missiles could not follow and they slammed into the derelict city below. The maneuver brought them into a flak trap and soon the sky was filled with small black puffs of smoke that spewed shrapnel in all directions in an effort to bring the Raptor down.

Zeresi worked his ECM panel like an artist embroiled in his latest masterpiece. His efforts were going a long way to disrupting the targeting DRADIS that the Cylons were illuminating in their direction. He made it look easy but the dabs of sweat that were glistening down his face betrayed the concentration and effort that the task was taking.

The Marines inside the Raptor were tossed around as Bowman kept jinking the Raptor from side to side in order to make it an even more difficult target to hit. He quickly sent the little ship back down near the deck in order to once again make use of the buildings for cover. While this largely negated the SAM threat it still left them vulnerable to the flak guns that were still trying to catch the Raptor as it darted between the ruined buildings. Occasionally the hull rattled from small arms fire from Centurions firing their rifles in an effort to catch a vulnerable part of the little ship. The whole thing made for a gut wrenching and terrifying ride.

"I'm going to tell you 'I told you so' if you don't get us out of here in one piece!" Corman said and would have said more if Stryker had not silenced him with a look.

After a vomit inducing series of maneuvers that would have made a stunt pilot proud, Bowman finally got the Raptor out of Amarna and towards the temporary base that had been erected by the Marines when they had to abandon Amarna to the Cylons.

"Now that's over with, the next stop for our flight is going to be the city of Iopolis," announced Bowman to Corman imitating what could only be described as a stoned Bus conductor. "Don't be surprised if we stop along the way for a meal, the Cylons just caused me to work up one hell of an appetite!"

"You've got to be kidding me, the Cylons just try to blow us out of the sky and he gets hungry?" Corman asked to no one in particular.

"It's what he does; I could go for a burger as well. Who's buying?" asked Zeresi who immediately saw the look Bowman shot him from the pilot's seat, "You are not going to remind me of that Triad game we had before the Admiral got here? I owe you dinner on our next shore leave!"

"Well Govie, we are on leave from the _Columbia _and we are planet-side now so time to pay up!"

"I am going to marry a rich girl one day so I won't feel so bad about losing to you at Triad!"

"Get us to Iopolis and the next meal is on me," Stryker announced, finally speaking for the first time since the Marines had been dropped off.

"It's a deal Admiral!" Bowman said as he fired the thrusters and got the Raptor airborne once again. For Corman and indeed Stryker this had been a particularly unnerving flight. For Bowman and Zeresi it was another day at the office.

Five hours later the Raptor touched down at Fort Teuton, located on the outskirts of Iopolis, and the four men exited the craft and stepped into the bright afternoon Canceron sun**. Just a few hundred yards away the sounds of hundreds of refugees passing by the base could be heard. Some of them pleaded and begged for help from the Colonial military but unless anyone was injured there was nothing they could do.**

"It's going to be a few minutes, Lt. Corman and I have some details to work out with Mr. Tolan. The two of you mingle and get yourself some food from the mess," Stryker said, returning the salutes from Bowman and Zeresi before departing.

"You get some food Govie, I'm going to make a phone call."

"You do that, but don't expect me to wait on you!" Zeresi called out as he followed the sign that pointed him in the direction towards the mess. Bowman found a phone kiosk and a few minutes later he had a connection to Delphi, "Hello?" the voice on the other end asked.

"Hey baby, it's me," Bowman said as he leaned against the wall of the kiosk. **All the façade and front that pilots like Bowman and Zeresi put on in front of others evaporated whenever he was talking to his wife. He couldn't hide anything from her not even in a phone call.**

"Hey Honey! I was just talking about you, how are things on the _Columbia_?" Claire Bowman asked.

"In truth, I'm not on the _Columbia_. I'm actually on Canceron at the moment," he knew he could not tell her much of what was going on but at least she could know where he was.

"Really, what are you doing there?"

"Well I got selected to escort a Fleet V.I.P. so Govie and I are on an impromptu shore leave," Bowman looked out the window at the runway he had landed on. The ground crew had just taken his Raptor to the hangar for refueling and maintenance.

"You and Govie? Don't let him get you into trouble!" Claire teased, knowing all too well the reputation of Vincent 'Govie' Zeresi.

**"I won't," he said smiling**. "How's Steven?" Bowman asked, referring to their only son.

"Same as before, he's out with his friends. I tried to stop him, but he dared me to try and stormed out of the room. I wanted him to have dinner with me tonight, but he said he couldn't stand to be here with me. He's living up to the image of a teenager."

Bowman sighed, "Well when this war is over I'll be home and things should be better then. I wish he could understand the sacrifices that have been made. Gods, I wouldn't have joined if I wasn't serious about keeping the Cylons from killing us all."

"I know, and one day perhaps he can understand. Right now he's angry and acting out the only way he can. He's got a new girlfriend, a girl named Eliza Vandermevre. I've told him to be careful, and let's just say he told me that what he did with her was none of my business."

"Hang in there; we'll get him straightened out one way or another."

**"I know. Listen to me you stay safe Archie, ok?** I love you!"

**Bowman smiled, "I love you too Claire!" There was a short pause before he realized he should go and get some food. "I should go."**

**"Ok," she said understandably. "Good bye."**

**"Bye baby!" **

He hung up the phone and let out a deep breath. It seemed his family life had become a casualty of the Cylon War.

An hour later Stryker and Corman arrived at the mess to retrieve Bowman and Zeresi. They had talked to Carl Tolan, and he was sending transportation to take them to his Iopolis mansion. The four men walked to the front of Fort Teuton and there was a white stretch limousine, the driver standing outside holding open the door for them to get in.

"Compliments of Mr. Tolan, he sends his regards and is eager to meet with you."

"Thank you, I will be sure to thank Mr. Tolan whenever we meet with him," Stryker said as he stepped into the limo and made himself comfortable.

The door was closed and a moment later the limo took off in a hurry.

"This is nice, I could get used to this!" Zeresi exclaimed, earning him a disapproving look from Stryker.

The men said very little as the limo navigated the streets of the metropolis; it seemed that even with the Cylons possibly threatening the city any day life was going on as if nothing was happening. Bowman wondered if it was a coping mechanism of some sort, perhaps it helped to keep the people sane and from losing their minds in worry as the Cylon menace approached.

As he was thinking of this, the limo turned onto the Ben Hill Griffin Bridge that spanned the Bion River. They were leaving the heart of Iopolis and moving towards the beachfront residence of Carl Tolan.


	3. Chapter 3: Captive Audience

Chapter Three: Captive Audience

_**Three Years before the Fall**_

_**Delphi, Caprica **_

Artimus had set down his grandfather's journal and took time to think of the story he was reading; his grandfather had been in the presence of Carl Tolan. He always knew Scott Tolan had mixed feelings towards his own grandfather, and Artimus always wondered how his friend really felt about the man.

He got out of the chair and walked to a bookcase on the wall opposite the desk. The pain of the loss was throbbing more strongly inside and he just wanted to dull the ache until after the funeral. Something that could help him make it through the next few days was what he needed. He searched and found the small cabinet his grandfather had built into the bookcase, inside was a set of tumblers and a bottle of amber liquid.

He took a tumbler and the bottle and sat down against the wall. Once he was situated he poured a glass of liquor and downed it quickly. The alcohol burned going down, but it was a welcome feeling. Some new kind of pain that would keep his mind off what was really hurting him. Another swallow quickly followed, and he held up the empty tumbler to a picture of Archibald Bowman in a salute.

After his fourth drink he could feel the alcohol taking effect on his mind. At some point he had slumped to the floor with his back leaning up against the desk. He could just drift off to sleep and none would be the wiser. Knowing his wife, Brooke would probably be relieved over him getting some sleep that she knew he desperately needed. The events of the past few days had taken a heavy toll on Artimus. The incident aboard Cerberus regarding Neveah Ratliff had thankfully managed to fall into the background as his own involvement was overshadowed by the movie star's own ordeal.

The phone on the desk began ringing. Irritated by its sound he waited for someone downstairs to pick it up until he remembered that this was a private line his grandfather had installed up here. Whoever was calling was more than likely either a wrong number or trying to get a hold of Archibald. No doubt one of his grandfather's friends didn't know what had happened and was trying to get hold of him probably to organize a card game.

With that in mind he reached up behind his head and picked up the receiver off of the base in a slightly clumsy manner. "Bowman!" he announced before suddenly stuttering, "Uh…Artimus Bowman."

"Hello Artimus," said a voice he had come to recognize but had never heard it so compassionate before. "I'd ask how you're holding up but I think you're getting tired of hearing that," Rear Admiral Scott Tolan said to his friend of the past three years.

"You might be on to something there Scott, how is life on Picon?"

"As much fun as allowed for the Director of the Bureau of Ships," Tolan joked. "I thought I'd pull my head out of the books and give you a call."

"Brooke or Emily?" asked Artimus cynically referring to who it was had called him and asked him to have a friendly chat.

"Lacey actually," said Scott in a tone that suggested he was smirking on the other end of the line.

"Ahhhhh!" said Artimus as he took another sip of his tumbler. "Scott, you know how your mom died last year; I could not fully understand what you went through. I think I have a better idea now. You know what else?"

"Do tell," Tolan said.

"I'm just drunk enough to try and drop this pride of mine and just cry. But I can't. I just can't! Its like my eyes are filled with sand. I just don't seem to have any strength to cry no matter how crazy that sounds. I wish I could have been as strong as you were when your mom passed."

"Artimus, I cried like a baby when Mom died. Sure only Emily was there for that, but it hit me hard and I tried to put on the brave front for my family. I don't want to have to tell you this, but it's going to hurt like hell and you have to wonder if you'll ever really get over it. We have one thing going for us though."

Artimus let out a light chuckle, "Just what might that be?"

"We have three very strong women in our lives that will do everything in their power to make sure we're alright."

"That we do…I thought about if granddad suffered at the end, he's not suffering now at least."

"I know we have different views on this," started Scott carefully so as not to offend his atheist friend. Scott knew that some people who have no belief in the Gods can get angry at times such as this when people speak of them. Artimus Bowman had a well known temper. Nevertheless Scott continued, "but I think he's in a better place now and he is the man he used to be and not the man he was here at the end."

"Scott, if I ever get like that just do me a favor and grab me a gun to use."

Scott chuckled as he heard his friend slightly slur his request, "Just how much have you had to drink?"

"Four, maybe five…I kind of stopped counting after three," Artimus looked at the collection of awards his grandfather had earned during his military career, "That man was a hero, he didn't deserve the hand he was dealt."

"You'll hear no arguments from me on that one, I've been reading over his service record and he was someone to look up to."

"Yeah, hey when will you be coming in?"

There was a pause before he heard Scott say, "In a couple of days, I have some loose ends to tie up here. The design team has completed the preliminary drawings of the _Titan_-class battlestar and I've been told that we need to prepare for the decommissioning of eight _Valkyries _and ten _Cyrenes_ and those are just the battlestars!"

"You really are up to your 'brass' in work eh?" Artimus laughed at the thought of Tolan at his desk with stacks upon stacks of paperwork needing to be done.

"You don't know the half of it! Hang in there Artimus, I'll be there to see you and the family the first chance I get."

The connection went dead, but Artimus was certain he had said 'Goodbye' to Tolan. If not it was at least understandable. He stood up and realized his legs felt a bit wobbly, he walked over to the chair and picked up his grandfather's journal. He might have already read the story before, but he wanted to read it again and find out just what happened during the trip to Canceron all those years ago.

Somehow this story had come to occupy his every other thought. Maybe it was because he felt like he was somehow connecting to his grandfather one last time by reading it. Or maybe it had more to do with his recent connection to the Tolan family and that his grandfather shared this distinction also? Either way he once again looked into the book.

_**Forty-Two Years Before the Fall**_

_**Iopolis, Canceron**_

The limo came up to the wrought black iron gates of a large stone wall that encompassed the front yard of a large white stone mansion. Archibald Bowman noticed that there were armed guards moving around the perimeter, were they to protect against the Cylons or their fellow Colonials?

The driver entered a passkey and the gates swung open, the limo promptly drove in and parked in front of a walkway leading up to the large entrance doors to the mansion. The driver got out and went over to open the door for the four men in the back. Stryker was the first to exit the limo, followed by Corman, and then by Bowman and Zeresi.

"Nice place!" Zeresi said to Bowman.

"Understatement, Govie, such an understatement," Bowman said in awe at the white stone façade that faced them.

"Gentlemen, welcome to the Tolan residence!" a young blonde woman said as she walked up to greet the four men. She looked to be maybe nineteen or twenty; she was tall and carried herself as though she kept an air of confidence about her.

"Admiral Jonas Stryker," Stryker said as he held out his hand for the woman to grasp and shake, "This is Captain Archibald Bowman, Lt. Peter Corman, and Lt. Vincent Zeresi," he introduced the others in the group as the woman walked over and shook hands with each one. When she grasped hands with Zeresi, he took her hand and gave it a kiss. The eyes of the three men went wide with shock while the woman simply smiled at Zeresi before walking off.

"I am Lydia Tolan; my father has been expecting you. If you would be so kind as to follow me I'll take you to his office," Lydia turned and led the men inside. Behind her Stryker shook his head, Bowman arched an eye brow at Zeresi, and Corman looked about ready to explode into an angry tirade. Perhaps the only thing keeping that from happening was a warning glance from Stryker. Stryker was meeting with a criminal boss but Corman and Zeresi were the ones acting like back alley thugs. They were two cats fighting in a turf war.

"Now that was smooth," Bowman whispered to Zeresi.

"I don't think I did so badly," Zeresi said with a satisfied smile on his face as he eyed up the features of the young woman as she lead them inside.

Bowman took note of the many decorations Carl Tolan used to decorate his wall, from the little bit of art history he had studied in school he guessed that Tolan was a fan of Canceron paintings and sculptures. None of them spoke as they made their way up the winding staircase that led to the second floor of the house. Down the hallway to the left was a set of carved white wooden doors, which Bowman deduced must have led to the office.

Lydia Tolan turned and faced the group, "My father is waiting inside for you. Will all of you be joining the Admiral?"

"Lt. Corman will be coming with me, please show Captain Bowman and Lt. Zeresi to their rooms."

"Very well, if you two would follow me," Lydia said as she walked away from the group though she motioned for them to follow them with her right index finger.

"With pleasure!" Zeresi said and started to take off before Bowman stopped him with a hand on the shoulder.

"Easy there, Tiger!" Bowman cautioned his friend.

"Did you see how good she looked?" Zeresi asked.

Bowman nodded, "As a matter of fact I did."

"Do you think I should go talk to her?"

"Talk to her yes, sleep with her…no," Bowman knew his orders with Zeresi. "Remember where we are."

"What's the worst that could happen?"

Bowman's eyes bulged as he thought of just some of the possibilities, "She's the daughter of the most powerful crime boss on Canceron. I'm sure he could think of several painful, and I do mean painful, ways to kill all of us if you go and sleep with his daughter!"

"You worry too much sometimes," Zeresi said defiantly.

"Govie, sometimes I don't think you worry enough!" Bowman said as the two men followed Lydia Tolan to the guest wing of the mansion.

In Carl Tolan's office, the two Colonial officers sat at the table in the conference room that adjoined the reception area. Both Stryker and Corman felt safe for the most part, it was just a matter of how the negotiations would proceed with the man in charge of the Basileus.

The doors to the room opened and a large man walked in and eyed the two officers. He was tall, and built like a professional body-builder. His face was stoic as he took in the sight of the visitors before he turned his face to the left and nodded his head before stepping aside. It was then that Carl Tolan walked into the room and took a seat at the head of the table, not bothering to stop and offer a handshake to either Stryker or Corman.

"Well gentlemen I hope you have enjoyed your brief stay so far, I can assure that my employees will extend every hospitality to you we have available," Tolan said warmly.

'I would think punctuality would be hospitable as well', Corman thought knowing that if he said it then Stryker would simply silence him with a look.

"Forgive my tardiness but I had some business in town that had to be taken care; you know how it is when you slack off just a little. People start thinking you've lost your edge and in my line of work that is a luxury I simply cannot afford." Tolan said apologetically while thinking, 'As far as I'm concerned, I'm the only one that matters in here.'

"Perfectly understandable," smiled Stryker accommodatingly. "Well shall we begin?"

Stryker gave the presentation that had been prepared for this mission. The team that designed it had painstakingly gone through every conceivable idea that would give Stryker an edge in this negotiation and sway Carl Tolan to come to the table and agree to the terms of the offer being presented to the Basileus.

When Stryker was finished both he and Corman looked at Tolan to see just what his reaction would be. It would not be long before they had it.

"Now that I have heard your presentation, I would like to halt these negotiations for the time being," Carl Tolan said as he stood up from the table.

"That's preposterous, we just started!" Stryker said, wondering what this crime lord had up his sleeve this time around.

"Yes!" said Tolan smiling, "Gentlemen I am no fool. I can assure you that while I have entertained the notion of working together for our mutual benefit I know that all partnerships are built on a degree of trust. How do I know that I can trust you to keep up your end of the deal? Perhaps a test is needed?"

Stryker felt a sensation that could only be described as being a mix of irritation and apprehension. Nevertheless he knew he had to play ball or risk losing their help. "What did you have in mind?"

"There was a man; a business rival of sorts. His name was Charles Reinstra. Mr. Reinstra managed to set up a successful gambling operation here on Canceron that rivaled my own. I simply couldn't allow that."

"You killed him?" asked Corman without even thinking.

Tolan didn't say anything. "He had in his possession something that I hold near and dear to my heart," Tolan began. 'You mean he actually has one of those?' Corman thought to himself, knowing the comment would get decidedly more than a warning glance from Stryker. "I was on my way to collect it when unfortunately the Cylons overran his home. I'm sure it's still there. I would like you to go and get it for me but in the meantime we shall adjourn for the day," Tolan announced resolutely. "I will provide you and your pilots with information regarding this little favor I'm asking." Tolan then straightened up his suit before turning to leave the room but not before instructing his crony to escort Stryker and Corman to their quarters in the mansion.

"Working with the Basileus will be like watching a bad comedy set on auto repeat..." Corman said and thought he was going to get a rebuke from Stryker but the admiral was actually nodding his head in agreement.

Carl Tolan walked to the east wing of the house, passing areas that were reserved as living quarters for his private security. He intentionally made the meeting go the way it did for a couple of reasons, first was to get the Colonial government's proposal without giving his own counterproposal and the second was to get someone other than himself to risk their lives on the recovery mission he had asked them to do.

He opened the doors to his study and waiting for him, sitting on the mahogany desk was Maiara Sayen. The twenty-five year old Public Relations rep was a graduate of the University of Shahira located here in Iopolis. She served other functions apart from being his Public Relations officer, and he had a use for two of them at this moment.

He walked up to her and without saying a word pulled her to him and pressed his lips to her. She returned the kiss and it seemed they were on their way to another one of their physical trysts. Sayen served as his primary mistress, one that his wife knew of but was powerless to stop

"I missed you," he said to her as they briefly stopped kissing.

"I can tell, but first I have to ask about our guests," she said as she began to unbutton the top of her blouse.

"They'll do my bidding eventually and give in to every single demand I have to make, if I'm going to end this profitable war I'd best make it worth my while."

"In that case, shall I commence my mistress duties?" she asked with a sly smile.

"First I need you to get four of your girls here for tonight, I plan to get some blackmail on our guests and I know just what needs to be done to make that happen," Tolan laughed at the thought of getting the high-and-mighty Colonial Fleet officers caught with their pants down with the respective prostitute assigned to seduce them.

"Let me make the call and they'll be here waiting for them. You are so good at being bad," Sayen said as she turned around to grab the phone off its base and make the call. Her other job was serving as the leader of the Basileus prostitution ring, Carl Tolan had many uses for Maiara Sayen and she was good at every last one of them.

Bowman and Zeresi had been assigned their own quarters on the second floor, the rooms being connected by a door in the wall. Bowman saw that there was a change of clothes waiting for him and he found that they actually fit well enough for him! He wondered if the Basileus had found his measurements or simply guessed as to his size.

"I hope your clothes are to your liking?" Lydia Tolan asked as she walked into the room.

"They fit fine, thank you. I'll be sure to return them in the same condition."

Lydia laughed, "Don't be silly, those are yours. Think of them as a gift from the Basileus."

"How did they know how to get the right sizes?"

"We asked Admiral Stryker for a list of people who would be accompanying him; we got your information and made sure we got the right clothes for you."

"You certainly have an attention for detail," Bowman said in appreciation of the quality of clothing that had been purchased for him. "I haven't had a suit fit this well in ages."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Lydia said as she reached up and straightened his collar before asking, "What can you tell me about Lt. Zeresi?"

"Oh Govie, well he's perhaps the most memorable of all the ECOs I've served with," Bowman tried to be as diplomatic as he could.

"Ah yes, 'Govie', now just how did he earn that nickname?"

"Well the short version is that he and a 'friend' of the opposite sex had an exhausting…game of triad in a diplomat's car," Bowman was really starting to dread where this conversation was going.

"I won't pry further, I'm sure he'll be happy to answer any of my questions. I am curious, why are the two of you working in rescue?"

"Because Combat Search and Rescue gives our lives meaning and enhances our manliness," Zeresi said as he walked into the room in the clothes that had been bought for him by the Basileus; a dark blue suit lacking a tie that made Zeresi look like he was on a night out in one of the more stylish nightclubs of Caprica.

"Indeed it does," Lydia said with an approving smile."Listen, some friends of mine are throwing a party tonight at eight o'clock and I think it's only fair that I bring my two new Colonial Fleet friends along with me. You two can fight over who'll be my escort," Lydia said as she gave a wink to Zeresi.

"Oh I think I'll take one for the team and let Govie here be your escort," Bowman said quickly as his head dipped in disapproval at Zeresi's apparent eagerness.

"Thanks Firefly, you read my mind!" Zeresi said as he put on a pair of sunglasses and smiled at Lydia as she left the room.

No sooner had the door closed with a thud then Bowman threw himself at Govie.

"What are you doing Govie; we don't need to go to a party with the daughter of a crime boss. What are you thinking?"

Zeresi simply smiled at him, "I'm just livin' the dream..."

Bowman began going down what he felt was a long list of reasons why going with Lydia Tolan tonight would prove to be a bad idea, but he soon realized that Zeresi was not paying attention to him.

"Govie, do you see where I'm coming from?"

Zeresi looked at him sheepishly, "Sorry Firefly, I wasn't listening. What were you saying?"

Bowman held his hands up in defeat, "I'm just ranting...it seems I have nothing useful to say."

"In that case," Zeresi said as he looked over at the clock, "It is now five fifty-one so we have a little over two hours before we go out and have a time I'm sure we'll never forget!"

"If you say so Govie," Bowman said as his ECO left the room closing the door behind him.

He looked and saw a full toiletry kit had been left for him. Since it seemed he was coming along for the ride tonight and somehow keep Zeresi out of trouble he had better get ready for a night on the town.

He took a shower, enjoying the hot water that seemed to relax every muscle in his body. After the events in Amarna, he needed a relaxing hot shower to ease both his body and mind.

Stepping out of the glass cubicle Bowman reached for a white robe that was hanging on the towel rack near the shower. After wrapping it around him he stepped out into the bedroom and almost jumped to find that he was not alone.

"Oh Gods!" a woman exclaimed. Her shock was only matched by Bowman's own surprise at finding her in his room. She looked to be in her early to mid twenties and was holding a newborn baby in her arms.

"Can I help you?" Bowman asked, not wanting to frighten the already shocked young woman.

"I was looking for my sister-in-law, Lydia, I was told she was in here," she said apologetically before looking down to make sure the baby was still asleep.

"She was here but I can't tell you where she went…listen I'm sorry if I frightened you. I thought I had locked the door when I got in the shower."

"No I'm sorry; I didn't know anyone would be staying here, Mr…" the woman said before realizing she did not even know his name.

"Captain Archibald Bowman, I'm a Raptor pilot from the battlestar _Columbia_," Bowman held out his hand for her to shake. "Oh uh, nevermind!" said Bowman retracting his hand after realizing her hands were well and truly full. The woman chuckled.

"The _Columbia _huh? No kidding, my husband is stationed on the_ Columbia_! My name is Sylvia," she tried not to say it too loud in order not to disturb the baby.

"Really, what's his job?" Bowman asked wondering if he had ran into the woman's husband during his tour of duty aboard the Battlestar.

"His name is Henry Tolan, and he is a Warrant Electrician in the Engineering Department. This little guy here," Sylvia said motioning towards the sleeping infant, "is our son, Andrew, he was born three months ago. He's our first child, though maybe when the war's over we can give him a brother or sister."

**Three Years before the Fall**

**Delphi, Caprica **

"Andrew! Andrew Tolan!"

Artimus Bowman's head shot up from the page he had been reading in surprise. How had he forgotten reading this section the first time? Admittedly it was over ten years ago he had last looked at this seemingly simple section of the journal. In truth when he did read it last he skimmed over a lot of it in his efforts to get through the books as quickly as he could. Only now did he truly fathom the importance of the child that his Grandfather had met.

Andrew Tolan was Scott's older brother. When Scott was twelve Andrew was killed during a power struggle within the Basileus. Scott himself only narrowly avoided getting killed by bullets from the same gun that killed Andrew.

As if the book was emanating some powerful force of attraction as a result of this revelation Artimus found his eyes racing back down in desperation to read on.

_**Forty-Two Years Before the Fall**_

_**Iopolis, Canceron**_

Archibald Bowman walked over and looked at the baby, "He's as cute as can be, he's got your lips and chin if I may say."

Sylvia smiled at bowman's remark just as the baby began to stir. "I'd better get him down before he wakes up," she whispered. "Excuse me Captain Bowman, oh and uh sorry again."

"It's no problem," replied Bowman in a hushed voice. Alone once again Bowman felt a warm glow as he remembered holding his own son when he was that small. Suddenly the glow faded as he remembered the last phone call he had with his wife. His son was becoming a bit of a problem for her and it made him long to be there with them. In part he felt responsible for his son's behavior since he had spent most of his son's life in space fighting the Cylons and taking enemy fire ranging from Cylon Raiders down to kids throwing rocks. The brief encounter with Sylvia only served to remind him what he was missing back home.


	4. Chapter 4: Breaking and Entering

_**Chapter Four: Breaking and Entering**_

_**Three Years before the Fall:**_

_**Delphi, Caprica:**_

Artimus Bowman sat the journal down and rubbed his eyes. For the life of him he could not comprehend all that his grandfather had done on Canceron, and was still in shock at the people he had met. He remembered the first time Archibald Bowman had met Scott Tolan, he had said that Scott looked a bit like someone he had met a long time ago. His thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door, which brought him away from pondering about his grandfather and back to the present. He knew nobody wanted to disturb him so who was it at the door. He was a bit irritated by this, and was going to give whoever it was a firm talk about disturbing him at what was becoming a late hour. Perhaps it was his father coming to have another one of those famous talks of theirs that would end in a blowup of nuclear proportions. He would bet several hundred cubits that was the case, and he mentally prepared himself for battle.

He flung the door open ready to launch himself into a verbal battle. His fury quickly subsided for standing there holding a portable phone was Emily Tolan.

"Well I'd hate to imagine if I was someone you didn't want to see," she said to him teasingly having watched his face drain of his hostility.

"Uh...What do you mean, Em?" Artimus asked innocently.

"Don't give me that, I saw the look on your face when you first opened the door. You looked like you were ready to lash out at someone," she arched an eyebrow in a manner that dared him to say otherwise.

"Would an 'Ooops' do in this case?" Artimus asked in an attempt to lighten the mood.

"From you sweetie it will do nicely. As for why I'm here, there's a phone call for you that came all the way from Cerberus," Emily said gesturing with the phone in her hand.

"Is it Commander Hawker?"

"Try Neveah Ratliff, it seems she bribed a Petty Officer Teuton to call here so she could talk to you."

'Remind me to have a long talk with him about this,' Artimus thought to himself before asking, "Just what did she bribe him with?"

"It seems this actress friend of hers by the name of Joandra Zavia who broke up with her boyfriend, an actor named William Corry, and she promised Petty Officer Teuton that she could set him up with Miss Zavia if he could get her in touch with you," Emily said trying to keep a straight face considering how well Artimus was taking the news.

"This will be a short conversation I'm sure," Artimus said as he took the phone from Emily.

She turned off the 'hold' button and handed him the phone while mouthing the words 'Be nice' to him. Artimus shook his head but a look from Emily finally got him to nod his head. She gave him a look that was familiar to him; it was one that Brooke had as well. It was the look both women got when they had gotten their way. Artimus couldn't help but smile momentarily following yet another playful encounter between the two of them. Emily took a lot of pleasure in teasing the quite conservative Artimus. To the casual observer such behaviour might have seemed inappropriate given that he was in mourning for his grandfather but the truth was Artimus was grateful for her acting normally around him. At times like this it's important to try and continue onwards as best you can by sticking to what was familiar. Emily knew this and she knew that he appreciated it. Before answering the phone he quietly thought to himself, 'Scott, you got a hell of a girl there'.

"Colonel Bowman!" he announced into the mouthpiece of the phone.

"Uh hello, sir," said Petty Officer Teuton's crackly voice, a result of the long range wireless connection to the Cerberus which was still in orbit around Leonis. "I have Miss Ratliff on the line. She'd like to speak to you. I-If that's ok."

"It is this time," said Bowman sternly. "But you pull anything like this again and I'm going to demote you so far down the ranks that they will have to invent a new one below the rank of toilet brusher. Understood!"

"Y-Yes sir!" replied Teuton nervously which amused Artimus somewhat. The line crackled as the call was transferred before a woman's voice uttered, "Hello?"

"Hi Nev," said Artimus. "How are you doing?"

"I'm good, thank you," she said. "How are you doing?"

"Coping, how are you after everything that happened earlier this week?"

"I'm good. If it's ok I don't really want to talk about it."

"Of course," said Artimus. "So how's the movie coming along?"

"We're finishing up the last few scenes," she explained. "It's not been easy."

"I can understand that."

"Hang in there Artimus, know I'm keeping you in my thoughts."

"Thank you Nev, don't let Goldstein drive you too crazy," Artimus said as the trace of a smile played on his lips.

"Will you Colonel, know that I'm even doing a proper salute on that one!"

"At least you're trying to do it right I'm sure. Thank you for calling Nev, I'll see you when I return to Cerberus."

"I look forward to it," Neveah Ratliff said as the line went dead.

"I'll take that from you," Emily said as she walked back into the room.

"Not a bad idea, I'm still not ready to start answering the phone. Though Scott did manage call me not too long ago."

"Really, what is the latest from Picon?"

"Oh he is currently up to his 'brass' in paperwork and there seems to be no end to it. He has no idea when he'll be able to be here," Artimus said as he looked down at the open journal.

"You know he'll be here it's only a matter of time," Emily said as she walked up and gave his shoulders a short massage.

"Are you sure you should be doing this?" Artimus asked.

"Do you realize how tense your muscles are right now? Let me work some magic on you and get rid of this tension," Emily said as she used her fingers to loosen up his back muscles.

"You…you know what you're doing," Artimus said as he began to feel his back loosen up and now feel quite as painful.

"Scott never complains about this, I think it's one of the things he looks forward to the most when he comes home from work."

Artimus had to admit, there was a sensual side to Emily that was there yet not as strongly stated as to give a person the wrong idea about the type of woman she was.

"I can see why, you know I'm really glad you're here," Artimus admitted.

"You're one of the most important men in my life, there's nowhere else I should be besides here with you and your family," Emily said as she finished the massage and put her arms around him for a quick hug.

"The price we pay for to wear the uniform. Em, that felt really nice Em but if you don't mind I'd like to finish this entry from Granddad's journal,"

"Sure thing," Emily said as she gave him a kiss on the forehead before leaving the room. She knew he was probably embarrassed by it, being the reserved person he was but he oddly felt relieved to have someone who was trying to give him comfort but not so much that it felt forced or even smothering.

With the door closed Artimus turned his attention back to the journal and began to read.

_**Forty-Two Years before the Fall:**_

_**Iopolis, Canceron:**_

The limo that had brought Tolan and Zeresi to the Tolan mansion was now taking them back into the city of Iopolis. It was perhaps the only major city on the Colony that had yet to fall to the Cylons, the result of a determined effort by the military. When the Cylons had revolted they were forced out of Iopolis and since then they had tried to force their way back into the city only to be repulsed. Because of this it was not an unusual sight to see a limo making its way to one of the many skyscrapers for a party that was taking place. Bowman sat across from where Lydia Tolan and Vincent Zeresi were sitting. The two were engaged in quiet small talk, with an occasional laugh at a funny comment from Zeresi. Bowman cringed inwardly when he saw Zeresi reach over and hold Lydia's hand for a moment before releasing it. He remembered the warning he had been given by Stryker earlier in the day, and he would have to be on his guard to make sure Zeresi did not do anything foolish with Lydia. He thought of Carl Tolan, and just what would happen if the man discovered that his daughter had slept with one of the men who were staying at his mansion.

"Captain Bowman, is the air conditioning making you cold?" Lydia asked, taking her attention away from Zeresi for a moment.

"No Miss Tolan, why do you ask?"

"You may not realize this, we just saw you shiver," Zeresi said before Lydia could speak.

'Knowing you, Govie, can you blame me?' Bowman thought to himself before saying, "No, I'm fine. How much longer until we arrive at our destination?"

"We'll be arriving at the Zacaula Tower in about fifteen minutes, it's going to be a party none of us will forget. Thank you so much for coming with me!" Lydia smiled at both men, and when Zeresi picked up her hand and kissed it again she smiled and blushed a little.

'This can't be good,' Bowman thought to himself.

Lydia and Zeresi returned to their quiet conversation while Bowman looked on wondering just what the night held in store for them.

Lydia Tolan was surprisingly accurate, about fifteen minutes later they pulled up on the curb of Callaghan Street in front of the black steel edifice of the Zacaula Tower. Neon lights bathed the base, causing it to shine in a briliant cascade of colors. In places such as this it was difficult to realize there was in fact a war on.

Bowman was the first out of the limo, followed by Zeresi, the latter offering his hand to Lydia Tolan to help her out of the vehicle.

"Impressive," Zeresi said as he looked up towards the sky.

"Wait till we're inside then you'll have quite the view," Lydia said as she linked arms with Zeresi and they began walking towards the entrance.

None of them said a word as they walked to a bank of elevators, Bowman pushed a button and a minute later the doors in front of them whooshed open and they stepped in.

"Floor 97 please," Lydia said sweetly to Zeresi who smiled at her and pressed the button.

The high-speed elevator wasted no time in getting them to their destination. The door opened up and they were hit by the sound of loud bass-pumping music.

"This is it boys, let's get in there and have some fun!" Lydia exclaimed, squeezing Zeresi's arm for added effect.

They walked up to the door man, who flashed them a smile before letting them in.

"We're hitting the dance floor Firefly; you don't get into any trouble!" Zeresi said as he led Lydia to the dance floor and melted into the crowd.

Bowman made his way to the far end of the room, where a large open-air balcony looked out towards the ocean. He looked out and watched the waves roll up onto the beach before heading back into the ocean. It was so calm and serene, a stark contrast to the party that was taking place inside.

"Hello there, you're looking lonely out here," a woman said as she walked up with two of her friends.

"I just got here, thought I'd get some fresh air," Bowman said with a smile he hoped would look genuine enough.

"I'm Rachael Carr, and these two ladies," she said with a nod of her head to the two women with her," are Saraya Morgan and Stéphanie Gagnon."

"We're friends of Lydia's, we go back to our days at the Galbraith Academy before we went to Williams-Sabus University on Scorpia," Carr said as her and her friends exchanged handshakes with Bowman.

"I take it the Cylons helped to convince you to return to Canceron?"

"When they landed in Port Talbot we heard reports they were heading northeast towards Byromville we got on the first transport shuttle we could to get back home," Gagnon said before Carr could speak.

"Not bad idea, my family back on Caprica told me it took a massive push by the Marines to keep the toasters from advancing on Delphi." Bowman said, looking the three young women over and noticing that Morgan seemed a bit withdrawn.

"Listen, we're going to leave Saraya here with you Captain. There's a couple of cute guys over there trying to get our attention," Carr said as she and Gagnon walked away and back into the room where the party was going full swing.

When they were gone Bowman and his new friend found a small table near the railing and sat in the two chairs.

"What were you majoring in at the university?" Bowman asked in an attempt to break the ice.

"Yeah, I was majoring in Theater with a minor in Education." Morgan said as she looked out towards the ocean.

"I know Caprica has some nice beaches, but the ones here on Canceron are a sight to behold," Bowman said as he turned his attention to where she was looking at.

"It's hard to concentrate on what's all here, my mind is usually on what's going on out there among the stars," Morgan said as she looked up towards the star-filled night sky.

"Because of the Cylons?" Bowman asked.

"That's part of the reason and the other is this," she then raised her left hand showing a diamond ring on her ring finger, "my fiancé is a Viper pilot, and he's out there in harm's way."

"Congratulations on the ring, where is he stationed?"

"His name is Caden Douglas, he's a lieutenant assigned to the Battlestar _Athena_. I was friends with his younger sister, Jenelle, during my freshman year at Williams-Sabus."

"Where's she at now?"

"Well…" she said with a voice that was trailing off, "she stayed on Scorpia and went to a town named Neidhart and was there when the Cylons destroyed the town during an orbital bombardment."

"I'm sorry," Bowman said knowing that his words might seem hollow but it just felt like the right thing to say to him.

"Thank you, the girls thought bringing me here would help to get my mind off of her death and Caden's deployment. I still worry that I'll hear that the _Athena_ has been destroyed by the Cylons or that he was killed in battle."

"Don't think too hard on it, that's the kind of thing that will drive you crazy. I know my wife has told me that she always worries about me, especially in my line of work."

"What is it that you do?" Morgan asked.

"I am a Combat Search and Rescue Pilot, I'm the guy who pilots the Raptor to pick up pilots who have been shot down by the Cylons or lost their Vipers during an engagement with the toasters."

"What made you want to do something like that?"

Bowman shrugged his shoulders," Just repaying a debt to the pilots who rescued me on Caprica."

The rest of the evening went like that, Bowman and Morgan both sat there and talked about life and other topics until their respective friends pulled them away. On the ride back to the Tolan mansion Bowman realized his worst fears were confirmed. Vincent Zeresi and Lydia Tolan were in the backseat with their arms wrapped around each other engaged in a marathon kissing session. He supposed he should do something to stop them, but it would have undoubtedly caused a fight and his conversation with Saraya Morgan had reinforced that he was missing the life he had back on Caprica before he was needed to fight the Cylons.

When they arrived at the mansion and they were all out Bowman decided he needed a word with Zeresi.

"Hey Lydia, do you mind if Govie and I hang back and have a word?"

"Sure thing, Captain. I'll see you inside Govie," Lydia said as she walked into the mansion.

When she was away, Zeresi walked over to Bowman, "If this is some kind of pep-talk you can save your breath. I can assure you I know what I am doing. Actually I think it should be me giving you advice. You only fly solo these days."

"Listen Govie, I know you always like to find a 'friendly port' whenever we're planet-side but you might want to reconsider this time."

Zeresi looked genuinely stunned, "Right, do you think I try to sleep with every woman I meet?"

Bowman said nothing, the look he gave Zeresi said all that needed to be said.

"Alright, look, I promise I won't try to add another notch to my belt this time."

"Just be sure you do. This isn't some farmer's daughter on Aerilon we're talking about here. Let's go get some sleep," Bowman said as he and Zeresi entered the Tolan mansion.

The two friends barely said a word as they went up the staircase to the second floor. They went down the hallway and arrived at the rooms that Carl Tolan had provided for them.

"Goodnight Govie and get some rest. There's no telling what Carl Tolan has in mind for us," Bowman said as he opened the door to his room and when he closed the door behind him he let out a long sigh. He looked around the room and when his eyes fell on the chair sitting in the corner he realized he was not alone…

Govie turned around and walked down the hallway to where his room was located. He stopped at his room and looked down to the stairway. From behind a corner at the landing Lydia Tolan appeared with a wicked grin on her face.

She walked up to Zeresi and kissed him on the lips, "I thought he would never go to bed."

"I'd have never pegged you for being impatient," Zeresi said with a smile as he reached behind and turned the doorknob.

"Only for certain things Govie," Lydia said as she pushed Zeresi through the open door and into the room…

_**Archibald Bowman's Quarters:**_

"I'm going to ask this nicely, what are you doing here?" Bowman asked the young woman who sat in the chair.

"I'm here for you Captain Bowman, complements of Carl Tolan. You look tense," she said as she walked over to him and tried to slide his suit jacket off his shoulders.

Bowman was stunned, and once his suit jacket had been removed he managed to come to his senses, "That's enough Miss…"

"Denise Halliday, please don't turn down this generous gift from Mr. Tolan."

"The suit was enough of a gift. Besides, you've got to be only…what sixteen," Bowman said as he guessed the girl's age.

"I'm eighteen."

"Liar," Bowman said with a gaze that let her know he was serious.

"Seventeen then, but I'll turn eighteen in four months then Mr. Tolan swears he'll let me out of my parents' debt."

Bowman was furious, "What the hell is it with a deal like that?"

"Let's not talk about that shall we?" she cooed as she tried once again to remove his jacket for him.

"No, what do you mean?" persisted Bowman.

"My parents were killed when the Cylons occupied Hades, Mr. Tolan took me in and said that I had to work off my parents' debt. I offered to do housework for him but he said this was the only way I could bring in the money he was owed."

Bowman felt sick to his stomach, "Listen Denise, I'm not mad at you. I just find this whole business sickening."

"Actually if you knew exactly why I was here you'd be mad at me," Halliday said with a look that showed she had just said something she should not have mentioned.

"Oh really, and why is that?" Bowman asked, a feeling of hatred starting to form in his gut. Not towards this young woman who had no business being in her situation but towards the man who had put her there. There was something in her tone that he felt was trying to warn him. He caught hold of her by the arms and tugged her. "What do you mean?" he demanded.

The girl became frightened by his sudden move. As he looked at her he suspected she was used to being afraid around a client.

"Four of us were assigned to you and the people who came with you. We're to seduce you and let the cameras in this room film you so Mr. Tolan can use it to blackmail Admiral Stryker for more favorable negotiating terms."

"How do you know this?"

"Some of the girls talk and when they hear something like that, word gets around."

"So right now there's a girl trying their best to seduce Stryker, Corman, and Zeresi?"

"Yes, and they're su-suppose to use any means necessary to do it."

Bowman reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet, "Do you have some family somewhere who can take care of you. At least any of them now on Canceron?"

"I have an aunt and uncle who live in Oasis on Caprica."

"Here's what you're going to do; this is three hundred cubits. That should be enough tog et you a budget seat on liner off-world. Buy you a one-way ticket to Caprica. My wife lives in Delphi, her name is Claire Bowman, and she can help you find your family in Oasis."

"I can't take that," Halliday said automatically but Bowman could tell by the look in her eyes that she was wanting to.

"Yes you can, and you will. Now get going before someone knows you're missing."

"I will," Halliday said as she took the money, "thank you so much Captain Bowman, I won't disappoint you!"

"I get the feeling you won't Denise," Bowman said as he walked over and opened the door which she quickly ran out of.

He closed the door and felt like he had done something completely and totally reckless. He had to do something though, even if it was saving one girl from a life of prostitution. That feeling in the pit of his stomach crystallized into a feeling of hatred for the Basileus and Carl Tolan in particular. He could not be done with this mission and this colony fast enough for his liking.

Meanwhile across the hall a standoff was taking place in Vincent Zeresi's quarters.

_**Vincent Zeresi's Quarters:**_

"For the last time, get your skanky ass out of here!" Lydia Tolan hissed at the woman who was waiting in the room for Zeresi.

"I have a job to do, and you are interfering with it," Harrah Sarver said as she stood near the bed.

"Ladies, is this cat fight really necessary?" Zeresi asked in an attempt to diffuse the situation.

"Stay out of it, Govie," Lydia said as she kept her eyes locked on the other woman in the room.

"You don't get it, your father arranged for me to be here to spend the night with our friend 'Govie'. The best thing you can do, princess, is go back to your college girlfriends and let me do my job," Sarver said as she came closer to where Lydia stood.

"You can take my father and go frak each other to death for all I care," Lydia said as she took hold of the woman's hair and opened the door. With a quick movement she threw her into the hallway and closed the door behind her.

Zeresi watched as Lydia Tolan locked the door immediately before walking over to him, "I hope that didn't kill the mood."

"Are you kidding me? That was the hottest thing I've seen since those twins on Leonis!"

"Good, now let's have some fun…" Lydia said with a wicked smile on her face.

_**Archibald Bowman's Quarters:**_

Bowman paced around the room wondering what his course of action would be. He wanted to go to each room and warn the others of Carl Tolan's plot. He fought with what he thought should have been a simple enough of a decision. He finally gave in and walked down the hall to where Zeresi's room was. He went to knock on the door when he heard a woman moaning followed by Zeresi saying something he could not quite make out.

If his ECO was just now getting busy with the prostitute in the room then it was too late to warn Stryker and Corman, he would simply have to wait until the next morning to see what happened.

_**Carl Tolan's Residence, Guests Dining Room:**_

It was the next day, and the four officers were sitting in a small lounge area that had been turned into a small dining room for the visitors. For the initial few minutes none of the men spoke, as if something was on their minds but they could not quite bring themselves to speak of it.

Finally it was Stryker who spoke, "Did anyone have any visitors last night?"

"That would depend on one question sir, just what would qualify as a 'visitor'?" Corman asked after taking a bite of a breakfast pastry.

"A 'lady of the evening' who is normally paid for said evening, is that clearer to you Mr. Corman?" Stryker said.

"Yes sir, there was such a woman waiting for me last night," Corman admitted.

"Alright then, did you take her up on her 'generous' offer?" Stryker asked.

"Well sir, I almost did but I thought better of it," Corman said before sending Zeresi a look when the Lieutenant chuckled.

"Mr. Zeresi, I take it you slept with the woman who was in your room?" Stryker asked in a tone that stopped Zeresi's chuckling.

"No sir, I did not sleep with a woman matching that description," Zeresi said before wincing in pain from a kick to the shin from Bowman.

"Anything you'd like to add to this conversation Captain Bowman?" Stryker said as he turned his attention to the only person in the group who had yet to be addressed.

"No sir, just that I had a similar encounter but promptly sent her away from my room."

"Very good, it seems we all avoided falling into a trap set by our gracious host. Finish up your meal, Mr. Tolan had requested a meeting with all four of us in half an hour," Stryker said as he took another bite of food.

_**Carl Tolan's Office:**_

The men arrived at Carl Tolan's office twenty-five minutes later and were shown in right away. Tolan was waiting there for them with two of his people who didn't look like his security. One of them was a middle-aged woman of medium height with a business-like expression her face. The other was a man who seemed unimposing when first looked at, but the men knew in their minds that Carl Tolan would never hire a man to work for him who could not serve some function to benefit him.

"Gentlemen, I thank you for your promptness in arriving," Tolan said with a smile that would have seemed genuine to an outsider.

"Considering you mentioned how important this meeting was, how could we be late?" Stryker said as he tried to hide his growing irritation with the man.

"First allow me to introduce you to two of my people, a third will come in momentarily. To my left is Ava Ludolph, she's a member of the Vice Squad of the Iopolis Police Department. To my right is Matthias Lee, he's a man who wears many hats for me and his reason for being here is not relevant at the moment," Tolan said as he stood up with a remote control in his hand.

"I have video evidence that one of you fine officers spent the night with a woman who was, shall we say…paid for her services. Now there is nothing wrong with that per se but when the woman in unregistered prostitute well that then becomes illegal. Officer Ludolph is here because as a concerned citizen I could not let an illegality go unnoticed," Tolan said as he turned towards a large video screen on the far wall. He pressed a button and in walked a young woman who looked to be not far out of college, "This is Maiara Sayen, my Director of Public Relations. She got this evidence from a reliable source, and I'm here to share it with you."

Tolan intentionally made sure he did not look at the video, after all he needed his shock to be genuine and beyond question. When Ludolph had done her work, the Colonial Fleet would undoubtedly do whatever they could to keep this embarrassment out of the public. A scandal of any sort involving the legendary Admiral Jonas Stryker would be something that would only end badly.

Sayen handed Tolan a hexagonal green disk that he put into a nearby computer, the video screen flickered and then came to life. What was on the screen was something most of the people there did not believe they were seeing. Everyone in the room was witnessing Vincent Zeresi and Lydia Tolan having sex…

Tolan quickly turned off the screen and looked around at the group of officers. Bowman had his hand over his face in embarrassment, Corman looked too stunned for words, Zeresi looked like he was about to have a heart attack and seemed unsure as to what to do or say, and Stryker looked ready to explode in anger at the officer.

"Well Officer Ludolph, I believe there has been a misunderstanding of sorts. You're free to go, no crime was committed apparently," Tolan finally said. Ludolph quickly excused herself and left the room

When she left Tolan cut off any attempt by the men to talk, "I let you into my house, treat you with all the courtesy that can be afforded a guest. Even in these hard times when the Cylons are trying to kill us all you abuse my generosity and one of your officers takes it upon him to sleep with my daughters."

"Nice way to change our tune there Tolan," Bowman spat the words at the crime boss with a contempt for the man he did not even think he had in him towards a fellow human.

"You are on thin ice as it is…Admiral, I suggest you control your people," Tolan warned.

"Captain Bowman, the best thing you can do right now is stay quiet," Stryker warned, his voice leaving no room to doubt.

"Aye aye sir," Bowman said.

"Your two flyers will leave in fifteen minutes for the city of Hades on that little favor I asked of you. They are to fly to 4824 Wohlsen Avenue and from there they are to enter the house at that location and retrieve the Orem Mask. It was a mask of gold crafted from the death mask of King Orem of Anastasion. You will bring that here in two days or else you're friends here will see what happens when I don't play nice," Tolan said with a menacing tone.

"Very well, I'll have a word with Captain Bowman and Lieutenant Zeresi and then they'll leave for Hades," Stryker said with an amazing calm for having just been threatened with death by a crime boss.

Tolan waved his hand towards the door in a gesture to let the men know it was time to leave. When they left the office waiting area Stryker turned to Bowman and Zeresi, "Get in your flight gear and meet me in my room."

" I wonder just how pissed he is right now?" Zeresi asked.

"About as pissed off as I am Govie," Bowman said as he tried to hold in his anger at his ECO.

Stryker opened the door to his room and motioned for Bowman to enter.

_**Jonas Stryker's Quarters:**_

"Sir, about Govie," Bowman began but Stryker put a hand up to silence him.

"Listen Captain, I believe you did all you could to stop it from happening. It seems that Lieutenant Zeresi has managed to put us in an awkward situation though," Stryker said as he paced the length of the room as though he were pondering something.

"I agree with you sir, I wish I had known he was going to sleep with Lydia Tolan. Especially after I warned against doing it in the first place, he's a brilliant ECO but there's times when he pushes his luck outside of the Raptor."

"I'm inclined to agree with you on that one, but we're just going to have to play the cards we've been dealt and make the best of it. I do want you to try to keep Zeresi out of trouble for the rest of these negotiations, there's no telling how Carl Tolan is going to spin this to his advantage."

Bowman nodded his head, "I agree sir, and I promise that Govie will not cause you any more headaches."

Stryker chuckled, "Bowman, I haven't worried about headaches since I helped to forge the Colonial Fleet. After that, everything else seems minor in comparison."

"When I put it that way Admiral, I can see your point of view."

"Thank you Bowman, you may leave and send Zeresi in…you might want to find some ear plugs or go to the other side of this mansion."

When Zeresi entered the room he closed the door, and stood at attention in the middle of the room.

"Sir, it was mistake that will not happen again," Zeresi said knowing that nothing he said would or could make things better.

"Damn right it won't happen again or else the next thing you fly will be a trash transport. You are fortunate in once sense, I don't know whether to drop you out of a high-altitude Raptor or simply launch your sorry ass into space. I'd ask you if you have any regrets but it would just put you even more in my doghouse!"

"It was a lapse in judgment sir," Zeresi said.

"Go find Bowman and the two of you get to your Raptor and get to Hades so we can get back on Carl Tolan's good side…that is if he even has one."

Zeresi turned and left the room as quickly as possible. He found Bowman standing at the bottom of the stairway, and there was nothing said but a shared look that acknowledged that all was not quite well between the two of them. They walked out of the mansion's door to find the same limo that brought them to the Tolan residence waiting to take them back into Iopolis.

_**Tolan Mansion, Exterior:**_

"Great day for flight gentlemen," a voice said behind the two men.

"I suppose so," Bowman said to Matthias Lee. A man whose job description neither of the men knew.

"What's it to you?" Zeresi asked, transferring some of the anger he felt at himself to this member of the Basileus.

"Mr. Tolan wants me to come with you to Hades for this little jaunt we'll be taking. If you have a problem with it you can take it up with Mr. Tolan though he's not in the best moods," Lee said with a casual friendliness that could have put most people at ease.

"In that case Mr. Lee, please join us for this trip we're on," Bowman said as he opened the door of the limo for Lee to get into.

"Please call me either Matthias or Matt, I answer to both," Lee said as he got into the limo.

"It's going to a long flight," Zeresi said low enough for only Bowman to hear.

"Don't get me started," Bowman said as he got into the limo followed by Zeresi.

An hour later the men had arrived at Fort Teuton, they'd have been there sooner but a Cylon Raider had crashed into the Iopolis suburb of Sheridan. The resulting traffic jam and detour took up a valuable amount of time, but ultimately the group had reached the fort.

"Let's see how your Raptor is doing and then we'll be off. It is called a Raptor…right?" Lee asked once they were out of the limo.

"You're right, it is a Raptor," Bowman said before starting off to the fort's entrance, "Follow me and we'll be flying out of here soon. If either of you irritate me in the slightest I'll have you walking home, understood?"

"Aye aye sir, let's get going then!" Zeresi said, for the fist time wondering just what kind of fix he had gotten them into because a night of passion with Lydia Tolan.


	5. Chapter 5: Playing with Fire

_**Chapter Five: Playing with Fire**_

_**Three Years Before the Fall:**_

_**Delphi, Caprica:**_

Artimus Bowman put the journal down and for an instant wondered if he should even pick it up and read further. So far he had discovered things he did not even know of, and in some ways what he had discovered explained much of his grandfather's behavior. Archibald Bowman had never wanted to visit Canceron, he seemed to give the impression that the further away from that particular colony he was the better. The other thing it explained was his hesitation in accepting Scott Tolan into the Bowman fold, if Scott's grandfather was the heartless man he seemed to be then it would understand why Archibald was cool towards Scott initially.

There was a knock on the door, and Artimus thought about just ignoring it. Then his mind told him that it might be Brooke, Emily, or Lacey at the door waiting for him and he would never ignore one of them. He got up and stretched before walking over and opening the door. To his dismay the person there was not one of the women he had thought.

"Hello Artimus," the man standing there said, there being a distinct smell of alcohol whenever he spoke.

"Hello, surprised to see you here," Artimus said as he tried to keep his emotions in check at the sight of his father.

"I see you've been hiding out here ever since you arrived," Steven Bowman said as he walked around his son and took in the sight of Archibald Bowman's study.

"I just wanted some time alone to collect my thoughts. Brooke, Emily, and Lacey were doing their best downstairs so I could stay up here," Artimus said as he wondered just why his father had decided to visit him now of all times.

"I see them and I realize you and I are more alike in some ways than perhaps either of us would care to admit," Steven glared at his son with a look that implied there was something unpleasant behind those comments.

"I'm nothing like you and we both know that," Artimus said defensively but coolly.

"Remember what I told you after you and Brooke were married?"

Artimus sighed, "Yes I remember, you said just because I was married didn't mean I had to be...what was it exactly; chained."

"Exactly!" said Steven eyeing the bottle on the desk and helping himself to a drink but pouring Artimus one also if only out of courtesy. "Look at you now, you have Brooke and a woman who's probably your mistress down there and then there's that young lady here too…Macy I think is her name."

"Her name is Lacey and I'm her honorary uncle, Emily is my friend Scott's wife and there is nothing at all going on there," Artimus said after he got his temper in check.

Steven walked over to his estranged son and handed him the glass which Artimus begrudgingly accepted.

"Honor amongst thieves; cute. And what's all this I hear about you and a certain movie star on that ship of yours. Neveah Ratliff - most impressive." Steven saw that Artimus wasn't going to bite and so he took another sip from his glass. "The Tolans!" scoffed Steven after taking a drink. "Never saw you as the type to mix with gangsters. Tell me; what's it like being friends with a crime family?" Steven asked and when he saw the look on his son's face he continued, "I mean I admit I might have been hard on you and your mom and I might have had some women on the side here and there, but I never lowered myself to being friends with a family of criminals."

"Not that it's any of your business, but Scott and Lacey have as little to do with the Basileus as I do with you. It wasn't until the mission I was on with Scott that I even met the man."

"Yes, and somehow the two of you bonded. I think it was after that time when you were declared 'Missing In Action' by the Colonial Fleet, what happened between the two of you to make you such great friends?"

Artimus shook his head, "You don't go through what we went through on that mission and not come out friends."

"How sweet, no really I'm feeling a bit emotional at this," Steven then noticed the open journal on the desk, "My old man's journal of his great adventures during the Cylon War."

"I read that journal after I told him I was going to attend Abry and join the Colonial Fleet."

"Abry Military Academy, my son became a pilot and a soldier…so have you learned anything from reading this?"

"I have," said Artimus taking a drink clearly indicating that he had no desire to indulge in a conversation with the man. Nevertheless Steven persisted.

"And?"

"It seems he was on a mission a couple of years before the war ended with Admiral Stryker trying to enlist the Basileus to help keep the Cylons from taking Canceron, Granddad was the pilot who took Stryker to meet with Carl Tolan."

"Hmm!" chortled Steven. "So even my father, the great 'Firefly', got involved the Basileus, well it would seem the apple doesn't fall far from the tree now does it?"

"The man is dead, you should show him just a little more respect than you did when he was alive."

"You're a fine one to talk about respect, you keep that woman and that little whore in this house when my mom is grieving and you want to talk about respect."

Artimus slammed the glass down onto a nearby shelf if only to burn off the portion of anger that had bubbled to the surface. He took a deep breath, something his grandfather had taught him to do whenever he felt like this, in order to keep himself in check.

"You don't even know Emily and Lacey, and you're the one who's being disrespectful!"

"I wonder if this journal should even be here," Steven said as he began to reach into one of the pockets of his pants.

"What do you mean?" Artimus asked though the feeling in his stomach told him his father was not up to no good.

"Why should this be here to only add more shame to the man's life? He was a failure as a father, and now this journal shows he was a failure as a citizen. What self-respecting person would associate with a crime syndicate?" Steven asked as he fished a lighter out of his pocket.

"Don't you dare! I'm asking you to not do it," Artimus asked in a tone that demanded his father's obedience.

"Here's the thing, you're asking but I don't think you're doing it nicely," Steven said as he flipped the lid off the top of the lighter.

"I'm asking you nicely, as nicely as I can, not to destroy that journal," Artimus said as he felt bile rise up from having to talk to this man in such a way.

Steven let the hand holding the lighter fall, and for a moment Artimus thought it had worked. Then his father turned to him, "I don't believe you."

"Don't do it!"

Steven ignored his son as he started to turn on the lighter. He had expected a lot of things, but he did not expect his son to cross the room and in one motion grab his hand and pull his middle finger back until it almost broke.

"Son of a bitch!"

"My mom is not a bitch, I am the son of a bastard though," Artimus said as he kept pulling the finger back.

"I'll have you arrested for assault," Steven said through clenched teeth.

"Funny thing, I always thought that to commit assault you had to actually assault someone. I'm going to let your finger go and you will leave this room and not speak to me again, nor are you going to insult Brooke or the Tolans or anyone else in this house that has come to remember my grandfather, understand?" Artimus released his grip and pushed his father towards the door.

He knew what was coming next and was ready for it. Steven Bowman turned towards his son and threw a punch at him. Artimus simply sidestepped it and delivered a left hook that sent his father crashing to the ground.

"Four years on the Abry boxing team, and we won a championship one of those years, you might not want to do that again."

Unknown to Artimus, Brooke and Emily had appeared in the door behind him just in time to see Steven fall to the floor covering his split lip with a shaking hand. Steven stood up and looked at the blood on his hand before turning to the two women looking in. Emily had placed her right hand on Brooke's shoulder to keep her from running in. Staring at Brooke he uttered, "One day this will be you with blood on your face. You just wait and see."

Steven did not say anything further and simply walked out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

Artimus felt the adrenaline coursing through his body begin to subside, there was a reason he never spoke to his father and this was one of the reasons. Artimus slumped with his back up against the wall, his eyes initiating a thousand yard stare as he mentally locked himself away.

Emily turned to Brooke and whispered, "I'll be downstairs."

Artimus was now alone with his wife not sure what he could possibly say to her. For her part, Brooke remained silent as she looked her husband up and down analyzing him with her eyes. He stood there terrified of what she might say to him. He hated her seeing this side of his personality. It was a side he truly detested. In the boxing ring he could keep his cool even if he was getting belted with punch after punch before channeling his aggression at precisely the right moment but when he was out of the ring there seemed to be another side of him that could take over whenever it wanted to.

"I'm going to walk up to you and I am going to punch you in the head," she said to him quite calmly. He looked at her in a manner as if to say 'I deserve it'. She continued, "I don't give a flying frak that you're a boxer or a Colonel in the fleet. None of that will stop me from quite possibly breaking your jaw and it is going to hurt. Artimus, it's going to hurt so bad that your whole body is going to surge with adrenalin and you're going to want payback but I'm not going anywhere. I will just stand here waiting for you to hit me back. You could probably put me in hospital or even kill me. But you won't."

Artimus just looked dumbfounded at her as she walked up to him and kissed him on the cheek.

"You're not capable of doing that to me. He told me that to get under your skin and it worked. You are nothing like him. This anger your feeling is only his guilt reflected off you."

She kissed him again before leaving him with his thoughts. Artimus now knew why she had said what she did. She always knew exactly what he needed to hear. As she walked through the door she closed it behind her. He stood there for a while not knowing what to do until he eventually returned to his grandfather's chair and sat back down at his grandfather's desk. Alone again he found himself picking up the journal that had been saved from destruction and began to read it once again.

_**Forty-Two Years Before the Fall: **_

_**Canceron: Nassau Province**_

The CSAR Raptor made its way over the rural country side of Canceron after leaving the city of Iopolis. It's so easy to forget that pilots cannot fly their craft in a perfectly straight line. There are civilian traffic corridors as well as natural terrain to consider. Worse still, in this time of war, there is restricted airspace where any craft overlying certain areas would be fired on without warning. Often these areas would be military positions or even civilian settlements – the Cylons aren't picky over their targets. All of this made for one particularly long flight in a Raptor that was constantly burning fuel to keep it airborne thus limiting range.

The three men in the Raptor's interior did not speak a word, each trapped within their respective thoughts instead of trying to start up a conversation. As the minutes went by before turning into hours it was becoming clear that Captain Archibald 'Firefly' Bowman was starting to get more than a little tired from the constant flying.

"May I suggest we find a place to stop for the evening so we can get some rest," Mathias Lee suggested.

"I agree Firefly, you're starting to drift a bit," Lieutenant Vincent 'Govie' Zeresi added.

"Where's the closest place we can land at?" Bowman asked.

"We're not far from that Marine encampment we visited on our way to Iopolis, I'm sure they'd love to have us there for a night," Zeresi said as he checked the data to confirm what he had said.

"We'll stop there, just as long as the Cylons that are holding Amarna don't think of trying to overrun the camp," Bowman said as he entered the course adjustment from Zeresi's data and made their way towards the Marine camp.

As they made their way closer to their new destination, Zeresi tried several times to establish contact to let the Marines know that they were a friendly and to not fire on them.

"The CO of the Marine Company would like to speak to you once we land," Zeresi said after he had finally made contact and finished his conversation with the person on the other end of the transmission.

The Raptor touched down on a field near the camp, its thrusters kicking up grass and dirt as its skids hit the ground. Once the hatch opened the three men stepped out onto the ground and made their way towards the group of Marines.

"That's far enough," a man's voice called out.

Two officers came forward flanked by a group of six Marines. When the group was close enough Bowman spoke, "I'm Captain Archibald Bowman and with me are Lieutenant Vincent Zeresi and Mathias Lee. Mr. Lee here is a civilian accompanying us on a mission to Hades."

"Captain Brett Adams, CO of E Company, 2nd Battalion; with me is my XO First Lieutenant Leonard McGregor. I heard quite a bit of praise about you from Gunnery Sergeant Gadara, that was a damn good job of flying you did there Bowman," Adams said.

"Thank you Captain, where is the Gunnery Sergeant at?" Bowman asked.

"She left with a recon team to survey Cylon movements around Southard; the brass in Noa seems concerned about a possible move towards our left flank," Adams explained walking up to shake Bowman's hand. The strategic command center for the colony was based in the city of Noa, a smallish city that was not quite the metropolis of the other cities of Canceron.

"I wish her and her team luck, hopefully they can get some concrete intelligence on what the Cylons are trying to do here now that they've taken Amarna," Zeresi added.

"As do I, now your ECO didn't give much information on what you're doing on this flight. Can you fill me in?" Adams asked.

"We're on a retrieval mission to Hades. I'm afraid that's all I can tell you," Bowman said knowing Lee was not thrilled with having any of the information leaked.

"Fair enough," said Adams who assumed they were probably picking up some Special Forces team. "Once the Company heard you were on the way I had three volunteers for the mission. They were part of that recon team you rescued from Amarna, they want to escort to wherever you're going to return the favor."

The three men looked at each other, with both Zeresi and Lee nodding their approval of the idea, "Very well," Bowman began, "we'd be happy to have them accompany us to Hades. Who are they?"

"Privates Federico Gravina, John Gilroy, and Kimberly Trathen are getting their equipment ready and can leave whenever you give the word," Adams said.

"Thank you Captain, though if you don't mind my men and I would like to get some rest before we take off at 0530," Bowman said as he began to feel the pangs of tiredness creep into his body.

"Of course, one of my people will show you to a tent," Adams said as he gestured to one of the Marines that has accompanied him and Lieutenant McGregor to the impromptu meeting.

_**The Next Morning: **_

The three Marines were waiting at the Raptor in their Combat Utility Uniforms when Bowman, Zeresi, and Lee walked up.

"Marines, ready for a road trip to Hades?" Bowman asked.

"Aye aye, sir!" came the reply in unison from the Marines.

"Captain Adams asked us to give this to you. He said it might come in handy if you want to enter and leave Hades in one piece," Gravina said as he handed a brown file folder to Bowman.

"What is it?" Bowman asked.

"It's the latest information we have on the Cylon defenses around Hades, as well as the locations in the city that the Cylons have fortified," Gilroy added.

"That's going to come in handy," Zeresi said.

"Get on board, we don't need to delay our trip longer than we already have," Lee said before he became quiet after getting a stern look from Bowman.

With everyone in the Raptor and the hatch closed, Zeresi entered the coordinates from his ECO station and a display popped up on a console near Bowman's seat to let him know the way he needed to travel to their destination.

_**Five Hours Later:**_

"Judging by these reports we should be able to touch down in Lomax without being detected. The toasters seem to be giving the place a wide berth. We should come in from the south," Zeresi said as he read through one of the intelligence briefs in the folder. Lomax was one of the suburbs of Hades, and according to the report had been abandoned after the Cylons had driven the civilians and military from the area.

"Sounds good, put a course heading in for me and I'll find it," Bowman said as he kept his eye on the terrain. Hades had been occupied since the day the Cylon War started and so far none of the attempts to retake the city had succeeded. The capital of Canceron had been the setting for the Seige of Hades, where the forces of the Caprica Second Army, the Virgon Third Army, Colonial 1st Marine Division, and the Colonial 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing assaulted the city and managed to drive most of the Cylons out, however the victory was short-lived as the Cylons mustered reinforcements and encircled the city. After a long and bitter struggle the decision was made to withdraw the remaining combat forces and allow the city to one again fall into the hands of the Cylons.

"You're looking a bit distracted John, are you ok?" Trathen asked Gilroy.

"First time I've been back home in a little over ten years, it's a lot to take in," Gilroy said as he surveyed the ruined city as it passed below.

"I never knew you were from Hades," Gravina admitted.

"My mom and I were on the Commonwealth Expressway when the Cylons revolted, we managed to escape on the last transport plane out of Fort Neyland before it was overrun by the toasters," Gilroy said as he began to remember that day, "My dad was at his job, but we found out that he didn't make it out."

"I found a spot for us to land," Bowman said as he looked down at the cityscape below him and found a parking garage that seemed relatively undamaged. 'Lords of Kobol hear my prayers and let that structure hold,' he silently prayed as he expertly landed the viper on the ramp leading from the top level to the level below. He had hoped it would keep the Raptor hidden from view and give him time to plan the next part of the mission.

"Let's find us a way to that house," Bowman said quietly as he walked over to the ECO station where Zeresi still sat. He watched as Zeresi began to put the address 4824 Wohlsen Avenue into the computer console to see if they could find an easy way.

"I'm not a pilot, but that can't be good," Zeresi said when the computer provided only one way to get to Wohlsen Avenue.

"Try searching for an alternate route, that could get us there quicker," Bowman said as he watched several other routes through Hades appear on the map of the city.

"I'll see what we end up with," Zeresi said as he found the necessary information.

"Alright now put all of them on the screen with different colors and use the data we have of the concentration of the Cylon forces," Bowman said.

Zeresi pressed a few buttons and the map seemed to fill with red to show where the concentrations of Cylons were located at.

"I think we're going to have to use the Commonwealth after all," Zeresi said.

"Yeah," Bowman said before he began to examine the map in further detail, "Wohlsen in located in Embree, which is in the northeastern part of the city. We're here in Lomax which is in the southern part. A straight shot would probably give us away to the Cylons, we just have to find a way to keep the Raptor from being destroyed."

"We could always hide the Raptor somewhere and take a vehicle," Lee said after looking over the map with the two officers.

"That's not a bad idea," Bowman added as a thought hit him, "We can take the Commonwealth to Talpa and then travel to Fort Neyland. The Raptor should fit in nicely with all the abandoned military aircraft and vehicles. I'm sure there's got to be abandoned cars nearby that we can use. We'll travel by night and once we reach the house we can stay there until nightfall and leave without being spotted by the Cylons."

"Nice plan Captain, but what if the Cylons find us?" Lee asked.

"We have our sidearms, the Marines have their weapons, and don't expect me to believe you're not carrying a weapon as well. We can hopefully win a short firefight and then hide until we're certain the Cylons aren't trying to find us," Bowman said as he walked back to his seat and began the ignition sequence for the engines.

Moments later the Raptor lifted off and Bowman pointed the nose towards the direction of the super-highway known as the Commonwealth Expressway. The closer they got Bowman could see a large road that was littered with junk, though he knew that these piles of twisted metal had once been cars and military equipment. Some of it must have been there when the day came that the Cylons revolted.

For John Gilroy it was a trip to a time ten years ago when he could have easily lost his life, he was only an eight year old boy and the car his mom was driving was stuck in traffic. Had it not been for that perhaps he would have been in school when the Cylons began their attack. If his mom had not had such fast reaction time then they both would have added to the list of casualties that day.

As he looked upon the ruins of the Commonwealth Expressway, his eyes began to tear up a bit as he remembered the death and destruction of that fateful day and how far he had come since then. He was hoping that one day they could finally turn the tide against the Cylons and be at peace once again, perhaps then this road that served as a reminder of the death and carnage brought on by the Cylons would instead become the symbol of pride for Canceron that it had once been.

"It used to be more pristine than this," Lee said as he took the seat across from Bowman.

"I see a bunch of rubble and burnt out metal," Bowman said as he surveyed the surroundings for any signs of the Cylons.

"How close are you going to get us to the ground?" Lee asked.

"As close as I can without crashing us," Bowman said though his eyes never left the eighteen lanes of what must have been a massacre the day the Cylons revolted against their human masters.

"I trust you of course," Lee said almost a little too quickly.

"Glad to hear it, though I do wonder if we're supposed to return from this mission or not," Bowman replied as he finally gave voice to the feeling his gut had been giving him the moment he left Iopolis.

"What could you possibly mean?" Lee asked.

"Govie sleeps with Tolan's daughter, and then somehow we're supposed to fly into an occupied city and take back an artifact as an act of good faith to keep the negotiations going. Mind you, this city has been occupied for the past ten years and was retaken briefly before the Cylons massed their forces and recaptured it. So far Carl Tolan has jerked us around like one of those high-school teases of his and we're to believe this is all so he can negotiate a deal with Admiral Stryker. Indulge me Lee, what the frak is really going on?" Bowman pulled the punches and he wondered just how Lee was going to react.

"Fair enough Captain. If you and Govie pull this off then Mr. Tolan will be quite thrilled to have the mask back in his possession, if you do not then he will simply call off the negotiations until Stryker is willing to give him terms that are incredibly favorable to the Basileus. He's under the impression that you will not make it out of here alive, something about you lacking the necessary skills to pull it off," Lee admitted and he waited for Bowman's reaction.

"What about you Lee, how were you going to escape if we failed?"

"I serve at the will of Carl Tolan, if he decides my life is to be sacrificed then I give that up and know that my family will be well compensated for my loss."

Bowman shook his head, "Hate to tell you this, but you are going to have to keep on living. No way am I going to give that bastard the pleasure of watching me failing."

With that said, Bowman lowered the Raptor even closer to the debris that littered the Expressway and kept it low for practically the entire trip up the superhighway. He would have spoken more to Lee but he was focusing his attentions on keeping the Raptor low enough so that the Cylons would be unable to detect them, not that it was out of the realm of possibility that they already had.

Twenty-seven minutes later Bowman saw what he was looking for up ahead, the large structure looked abandoned and also like it had taken a severe beating several times over. There was little doubt as to what it was, they had arrived as Fort Neyland and by the looks of their surroundings the Cylons were nowhere to be seen.

"We've arrived at Fort Neyland, I'm going to set us down and turn the power off. Govie, open the door and then I want everyone to run for the nearest cover. The Cylons may notice if we're moving around in the open," Bowman said as he got the Raptor in position and set it amongst a group of abandoned Foxtrot-class Vipers bearing the symbol of Canceron on them. The buildings were in various states of damage, with scarring from bombs and bullets marking the façades. The runway for the Vipers was blown apart in several places, and bullets and various weapons littered the landscape. It seemed the defenders fought hard against the Cylons when they overran the base. The bodies of the dead were no longer around, whether they were burned by the Cylons or the Colonials when they retook the city was unclear. Bowman felt as though he were landing his Raptor on a cemetery. The place just had a feeling of solemnity to that put him at ease and made a chill run through his body.

"You were concentrating on something, Gilroy?" Gravina asked, who seemed to be lost in another world.

"We left from Fort Neyland just before the Cylons attacked; it was an Army heavy transport that managed to get out of there in time. My mom and I were among the civilians that were down there, along with Governor Donnelly and Lieutenant Governor Wilkes. We flew all the way up to the Northern Territories and landed at Pavo. We spent four months in the Governor's Bunker until the Army was able to land troops and retake the city and the rest of the Territories."

"What was it like living down there?" Trathen asked.

"We were crammed pretty tight on the plane there, but the bunker was spacious enough to allow us to live comfortably. My mom even made friends with the woman who became my other mom for all intents and purposes. Her name was Aleksandra Kucharczuk and she and Mom became friends on the ride up to Pavo. She lost her husband and two kids of Caprica while Mom and I lost my dad. She sort of adopted me as a son, when we were able to leave the bunker the three of us relocated to Elsass on Baden down in the southwestern hemisphere of the colony and we started life over," Gilroy said as his mind went back to the two women he was closest to.

"What happened to them after they settled in Elsass?" Gravina asked, curious about how the story ended.

"Mom met a guy and remarried, as did Aleksandra, and both seem happy for the most part. The Army is keeping Baden safe from the Cylons, it's sort of seen as a last haven for humanity here on Canceron. They both had reservations about me joining the Marines, but I told them I wanted to avenge Dad's death at the hands of the toasters and this is the only way I can think of doing it," Gilroy said with a hard edge in his voice that left no doubt this war was every bit a personal thing for him as it was for many others.

The hatch was opened and the group hit the ground running towards the row of buildings that was marked 'Administration'. The door to the building was opened, as though the last person to leave was so concerned about escaping that the thought of closing and locking the door was not even considered.

They walked up the stairs to the fourth floor of the building and found a group of offices that faced the parking lot on the outside of the fort. Bowman parted the blinds slightly and surveyed the group of cars and other military vehicles.

"See something we can use?" Zeresi asked.

"Not just yet," Bowman said as he surveyed the parking lot carefully.

"I'm nervous here, it's like we're stepping on a tomb or something," Trathen said as she looked around nervously.

"There was a lot of death here, some people came here seeking refuge from the Cylons and all they got was death," Gilroy said as his mind took him back to when he was an eight-year old boy scared for his life and wondering what would happen to him.

"I see something on the right edge of the lot," Bowman said and pointed in the direction for Zeresi to see.

"If that's what I think it is then we have ourselves a ride," Zeresi exclaimed.

"What is it?" Lee asked.

"A Canceron Army High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle and it looks undamaged so we should be able to use it to get to our destination," Bowman said as he examined the vehicle. It was a dark green color with what looked like a gun turret or missile launcher on the top. It looked like it had been here from the Siege of Hades, the condition was remarkable enough. He thought that it must have simply been abandoned when the order came to retreat from the city.

The group headed out of the building and towards the vehicle, quickly clambering inside once they arrived. Once they were settled in, Bowman looked and saw that the keys were not in the ignition. Before anyone could panic he quickly looked around and lowered the sun visor, where a set of keys fell onto his lap.

"Thank goodness they keep a spare lying around for just such an occasion," Bowman said with a smile as he put the keys in and the engine sputtered but refused to come to life. "Son of a bitch," Bowman spat as he got out of the vehicle and pulled the lever to open the hood.

"If you don't mind Captain, I might be able to help," Gilroy said as he got out of the vehicle with Bowman.

"You know a thing or two about cars?" Bowman asked.

"Yeah, my dad used to work on them as sort of a side job and he taught me a thing or two," the Marine said with a sad smile.

"In that case, what do you want me to do?"

"Get back in the vehicle and wait for me to give you the word to start it up, I should be able to us going quickly."

Bowman nodded and got back into the vehicle, about a minute later Gilroy gave him the order to start the engine. He turned the key and nothing happened. Gilroy worked on the engine again and once more gave the order to start the engine. This time the vehicle began to sputter to life, much to the relief of those inside. Gilroy closed the hood and quickly got back into his seat.

It took moments to get the vehicle into gear, the transmission had a feel of stiffness from lack of use. Not long after that they were on their way away from Fort Neyland and towards the home of the late Charles Reinstra.

Thankfully, Zeresi had brought his portable navigation unit to allow them to navigate the ruined streets of Hades; the battles fought in the city had rendered most of it inhabitable and made crossing the debris-laden streets more difficult than expected. After three hours or so, with the sun starting to set, they arrived at their destination: 4824 Wohlsen Avenue. The house at the address was still standing intact, surprisingly, and had been significantly damaged by gunfire but not so severely that it could not be repaired. It looked as though it had three floors and a basement, though Bowman felt it was a hideous color of yellow but the choice of paint was the least of his concern right now.

"Alright, we're here," he said as he turned the engine off and opened the door to get out, "bring your weapons with you and don't fire unless the Cylons see you and open fire. Also, once we get in the house we are using the buddy system. No wandering off by yourself under no circumstances."

There was a mumbling of agreements before the group exited the vehicle and entered the house through the large double doors. Bowman made it a point to close and lock the doors so that if an enemy patrol came by nothing would seem out of the ordinary with the house. He only hoped the Cylons did not have too heavy of a presence here or else they were in trouble.

"Govie, you're with me; we'll take the top floor. Lee, you and Gilroy will take the main floor. Gravina and Trathen, the two of you will take the basement. We'll be in constant wireless communication. When you find a gold mask that looks like it was molded from a man's face let me know right away," Bowman said and the group began to disperse.

_**Charles Reinstra Residence, Upper Floor:**_

"I'm surprised you wanted me to come with you," Zeresi said as he and Bowman began to ascend the main staircase that led to the upper floors.

"I damn sure wasn't going to let you go searching with Trathen, I don't need you sleeping with her and pissing off the other two Marines," Bowman said as he swept the upper floor for any signs of the Cylons.

"You're not going to forgive me just yet for that are you?" Zeresi asked.

"Look at where we are; is this really your idea of a good time?" Bowman said as he gestured to the space around him.

"This is different than the others," Zeresi tried to explain.

Bowman just looked him in utter disbelief, "Govie there is not a woman I have seen that you have not tried to sleep with. You're right though, Lydia is different. She's the daughter of the head of the Basileus, a man who seems decidedly ill-tempered and would shoot you just as soon as say 'Hi' to you. Yeah, she's different than the rest. She's not some fling you can forget about the moment you step back on the _Columbia_."

"The thing is, I think I'm in love with her," Zeresi admitted.

"You're in love with her! After barely a day? Do you even know what that means?" Bowman asked as they walked into what looked like a study or library.

"It means that compared to all the other girls I slept with I feel different about her," Zeresi said.

"Have you even talked to her about this? She's the daughter of a criminal, and I don't care what she says you're going to get dragged into that life of theirs. That family is a sickness on this colony, no good can come from the Basileus and you can take that to the bank," Bowman said while he searched the room and saw nothing resembling the mask they were sent to collect.

"You're going to start sounding like a politician if you keep using phrases like that."

Bowman turned and walked out of the room, "Let's keep looking for that mask, you take the left and I'll take the right. We'll meet back here at the stairs."

_**Charles Reinstra Residence, Ground Floor:**_

On the ground floor, Lee opened the door to a room and Gilroy went into the room with his assault rifle leveled to fire at the first sign of trouble.

"It's clear," Gilroy said as he lowered his weapon and began to look around what was a den of some sort.

"So, you lived in Hades, how does it feel to be back?" Lee asked as he searched a nearby display case.

"It's strange, but even after ten years the events of that day are burned into my mind. I know my family back home will be glad to have me back when this is over," Gilroy said as he swept the room with his eyes for something out of the ordinary.

"I overheard you talk about your mom and her friend, are there more?"

Gilroy nodded, "My mom's new husband is Charles Blaine, and he's a lawyer in Elsass. Since then they've had three kids, two girls and a boy. They're five, three, and one; it's good to see her happy. I know losing my dad was rough on her."

"What are your plans when the war is over?" Lee asked.

"Find a job, get married, and settle down. I know it may sound strange but I've had enough excitement over the past decade to last me a lifetime, I could with a little boredom."

"In that case, may I make a proposition? I have a business associate by the name of Vernon Maddox; he's the owner of several businesses in the Romanos area. His head of security has met a…unfortunate end. When the war is over I can pull some strings and get you the job."

Gilroy looked at him skeptically, "You want me to be in charge of 'security' for one of Tolan's henchmen?"

"Not exactly, a legitimate position as Mr. Maddox's head of security. In the post-war economy there will be a lot of veterans returning home to take jobs and get on with their lives again. Wouldn't it be better to have a guaranteed job that pays well instead of having to compete in what would be a crazed frenzy of job seekers?" Lee saw a moment of hesitation in Gilroy's eyes so he thought he'd play it safe, "Here's my business card, hold on to it and if you decide to take me up on my offer just call me and we'll set up the details."

"I promise to think about it," Gilroy said as he took the card and put it in one of the pockets of his uniform.

"A fair enough deal Mr. Gilroy. I doubt we're going to find what we're looking for here, let's move on to another room," Lee said as he turned and left the room with Gilroy following.

_**Charles Reinstra Residence, Basement:**_

Down in the basement Trathen and Gravina moved about a common area that branched off into two different directions.

"The Captain said we need to stay together, do you feel safe splitting up?" Trathen asked as she covered the mouthpiece connected to her wireless set.

"I wouldn't mind it, but I think Bowman is right about the need to stay together and not split up. We'll head down the left and if we don't find what we're looking for then we'll explore the right," Gravina said as he uncovered his mouthpiece. He looked and saw that Trathen was exploring a nearby bookcase.

"What do you see?" he asked.

"It's a book that stood out," Trathen said as she pulled a green leather-bound book that had the title 'The Empire's Chronicle' written in gold script. She examined the book and saw that it was written by an author named Margaret Johnston. After examining the book Trathen opened it to find written dedication in the beginning, it seemed whoever the house belonged to was a friend of the author judging by the writing of the dedication. The binding caught her eye and she examined it more closely and discovered a map that had been secreted in the binding.

"What is it?" Gravina asked.

"It's a map of some sort," Trathen said as she studied the image and read the notes scribbled on the outer edges. She studied it more and it dawned on her what she was looking at, "We need to go down that left corridor, it seems the owner of this house put in a secret tunnel that is supposed to lead to one of the houses two blocks from the street. That might come in handy if we need to get out of here without being detected."

The two began to make their way down the left corridor, the lights from their assault rifles helping to pierce the murky darkness that seemed to envelope them once they began to move away from the common area that was lit by the sunlight coming through the windows that had been installed in the room.

"Up ahead on the left is a door, let's go see what's in there," Gravina said as he came up on the frame of the first door on their left and shined the light mounted on his assault rifle inside.

"See anything?" Trathen asked as she came up on to Gravina.

"Yeah, it looks like we're in some sort of trophy room," Gravina said as he moved his light across the room.

"Is it what Bowman is looking for?" she asked.

"I think so," Gravina said as he moved into the room and found a display case that contained a gold mask that looked like it had been molded from a man's face.

"That's exquisite," Trathen remarked as she walked up to the case where Gravina was standing.

"That it is, it's a work of art. Just imagine all the cubits it has to be worth," Gravina said as he eyed the mask.

Trathen pressed the transmit button on her wireless set, "Captain Bowman, can you hear me?"

There was a crackle before a voice came over the set, "I hear you Trathen, what's your status?"

"Gravina and I are down here in the basement, we believe we found what you're looking for."

"Copy that, I want everyone to head down to the basement ASAP. We're grabbing that mask and getting out of here."

"I guess we can just wait for them here," Gravina said.

"Not a bad idea, the sooner we get out of here the better. This place gives me the creeps," Trathen said as she hugged herself as though she was fighting off the cold.

_**Charles Reinstra Residence, Upper Floor:**_

Bowman heard a gunshot come from near the hallway that led to the door to the attic. On a burst of adrenaline he yanked out his sidearm out of its holster and prepared to shoot whatever it was that might be coming his way.

"Firefly, it's me. I had to shoot the lock to get out of the attic," Zeresi called out as he began to walk down the hallway.

Bowman holstered his weapon and called out to Zeresi to meet him up at the stairs, it was then that he began to wonder if his ECO had inadvertently given away their location to the Cylons.

"Ignore the gunshots, Govie had to free himself from the attic," Bowman said over the wireless in case the others in the house had heard it.

"Thank you for clearing that up, I was worried the Cylons had found us," Gilroy said.

Bowman and Zeresi met up at the stairs and began to make their way down to the ground floor.

"Is everyone in the basement?" Bowman asked over the wireless.

"Gravina and I are still in the trophy room, Gilroy and Lee have just arrived," Trathen responded.

"They wasted no time getting there," Zeresi observed.

"They didn't have as far to travel as we did. We'd have been there by now if you hadn't have gotten trapped in the attic," Bowman said as he began to descend the stairs.

"That gust of wind blew the door closed and I couldn't get it opened, thankfully my sidearm was there help me open it," Zeresi said as he his hand patted the sidearm he had placed in his holster.

"Yeah, and I'm sure the Cylons within range might have heard it. I'm surprised none of the others in the house mentioned it."

"They heard it, but I told them what had happened," Bowman said as they rounded a corner and began to head down the stairs to the basement.

_**Charles Reinstra Residence, Basement:**_

When they entered the common area they looked around at the bookshelf covered walls and took in the sight.

"Not bad if I may say," Zeresi remarked.

"Yeah, it's a shame for him that he crossed Carl Tolan," Bowman said as a semi-warning to Zeresi and it was then that he saw movement out of one of the windows, "Govie get down!"

Both men dropped to the floor and out of the field of view of the window. Bowman had taken up a position behind a nearby trunk while Zeresi had ran into a nearby closet.

"What the frak was that?" Zeresi asked.

Bowman got his nerve together and managed to get his head above the trunk, and what he saw chilled him. The metallic foot of a Cylon was visible; they were on the verge of being discovered.

"Get to the group down the left corridor, and run like the Cylons were after us because they soon may be," Bowman called out as him and Zeresi took off in a sprint down the corridor and into the darkness.

They made their way in the darkness not caring whether or not something was in their way. Finally they saw the illumination of the flashlights in a room and they charged in, catching the rest of the group off-guard.

"Didn't think you'd be in that big of a hurry," Lee said.

"The Cylons are here, we have to find a way out before they…" Bowman did not get to finish the sentence as the sound of the front door shattering into little pieces echoed throughout the house followed the clunk of metallic footsteps as the Cylons entered the house.

"I found this in a book when we got down here, it might be of use to us," Trathen said as she handed Bowman the map she had discovered.

Bowman took the paper and looked at it over and realized that they have found their way out of here," Alright people get that mask and let's get to the end of this hallway, it this map is correct then there's a secret passageway we can use."

"What if it isn't there?" Zeresi asked.

"Then I'll be wrong but by then I won't be wrong long enough to feel bad about it," Bowman said as he took his flashlight and began down the hall. There was a crash as Gilroy shattered the glass case and took the mask.

"That'll get their attention," Gravina said.

"At least you got the mask, let's focus on the positive," Lee responded before Gilroy could say something.

Bowman and the rest of the group came to a brick wall with that looked like a thermostat mounted on it.

"Let's see what we have here," Bowman said as he studied the map.

"What does it say?" Gravina asked.

"I need to set the temperature on the thermostat and then switch it from 'Off' to "On' each time," Bowman said as he began to enter the temperatures written down on the paper.

The sounds of the Cylons' footsteps were now being heard on the staircase leading down to the basement, they were running out of time.

"How much longer?" Trathen whispered impatiently.

"Not much longer," Bowman said as he entered the last temperature and switched the thermostat to 'On', a part of the wall immediately recessed itself and slid open revealing a dimly lit tunnel.

With no time to waste, the group ran into the tunnel as the footsteps began to get closer to where they were at. Bowman hit a nearby button and the door quickly went back into place and sealed itself shut.

They began to move down the tunnel to get farther away from the Cylons that were on the other side.

"What do we do now?" Zeresi asked.

Bowman wanted to scream at his ECO but knew better of it and looked at his watch, "According to my clock it is now 13:46. If the Cylons don't realize we're here then we'll be safe for the time being. In the meantime we'll make ourselves comfortable and wait until late-night to make our get away. Hopefully by then the Cylons will have given up on finding us and we can use the cover of night to sneak to the vehicle and get back to Fort Neyland and away from this place."

"It's a plan Captain, are you sure it will work?" Gravina asked.

"Yes it is Marine, it has to work," Bowman said with the cool confidence one would expect from a Combat Search and Rescue pilot.

"What makes you so sure it's going to work?" Lee asked.

'Because if it doesn't we're dead,' Bowman thought but all he said was, "Don't worry about it Lee, just believe me when I tell you it's going to work."

The group got as comfortable as they could and began to wait for the hours to tick by and pray that the Cylons would have given up on finding them and they could make their escape.

Bowman could not help the way he was feeling right now, the mission was going well until Zeresi had more than likely alerted the Cylons to their presence. Not only that but they would not have even been here if it were not for the fact that he just had to sleep with Lydia Tolan. There was a voice in his mind that was telling him when this was over he should find himself a new ECO, the lines that Zeresi had crossed here were starting to seem like too many. Before in the past he could cover for the reckless behavior and not have it get to him. This was beginning to feel like a completely different experience. He thought about it and began to realize that when this was over it was best that he and Zeresi part ways.

That was if they made it out of Hades alive.


	6. Chapter 6: No Man's Land

**Chapter Six: No Man's Land**

**Three Years Before the Fall:**

**Delphi, Caprica:**

Artimus Bowman put the journal down and stared at the pages in amazement, when he read this section he had simply skimmed over it and now he was looking at it with a pair of fresh eyes. What he read was blowing him away; his grandfather had come so close to being killed by the Cylons. Only a hidden door was all that had stood between him and certain death. Even though he knew the outcome, he was after all the physical proof, he found himself likening the reading of the experience akin to an epic novel; Archibald clearly had a flair for writing something he regretted not inheriting.

As was becoming a frequent occurrence during his reading he was disturbed by yet another knock on the door. Artimus briefly considered not opening it, but he relented. As the door opened, he found himself staring at the waif figure of a woman holding her head down timidly as she nervously waited to see how he would greet her.

"Hello Artimus," Eliza Bowman said after her son had opened the door.

"Hello Mom," he said softly as he cast a sympathetic eye on her. He wondered… why she had taken it upon herself to visit him now. She seldom did anything without his father's permission; half a lifetime of beatings had trained her well. Maybe his father had sent her for some reason, perhaps about what had happened earlier. The last thing he wanted to do was revisit what had just transpired between him and his father, so he politely added, "Listen, now's not really a good time."

"That's true for so many reasons," Eliza said as she walked into the room and took a seat.

Artimus may have held a borderline hatred for his father, but with his mom, it was a different story. In a way, he felt as much pity for her as he did love. He walked to his grandfather's desk and took his seat. As she watched him occupy the seat where once Archibald would have sat she smiled as she saw that Artimus now resembled the loving father-in-law she once knew.

"Your father is sleeping off his latest drinking binge; he told us you attacked him," she began before turning away as though she could not bring herself to make eye contact with her son.

"That's his story; the man went out of his way to provoke me. He's the one who threw the first punch," Artimus said defensively.

"I know, Brooke and Emily were there to confirm it. Claire locked the door to the room he's in so he won't wake up and try something again," Eliza was silent at first before she spoke again, "You know he wasn't always like that."

"What was he like, was he always a drunk and an adulterer?" Artimus snapped then immediately felt a twinge of regret over talking to his mother like that.

"He was always a bad boy, especially when I first met him. I guess he never really outgrew that. At first, I was like all the girls who would go for that kind of guy. It was Claire and my parents' idea that we get married once they found out I was pregnant with you," Eliza looked as though her mind was off remembering that time in her life.

"He must have hated me for that," Artimus mumbled.

"For what?" Eliza asked though she knew the answer.

"For being born, for causing him to be in a marriage he probably didn't want. How could you have stayed with him, Mom? The hell that bastard put us through was unimaginable!"

"I stayed there to keep you safe, and I guess after so long it became the life I was used to. As long as I was there to absorb some of the blows, you were safe. There were times when Archie would come over to the house just to set him straight," Eliza admitted.

"What did he do?" Artimus asked, not at all sure what happened.

"He put his skill as a boxer to good use and 'taught' Steven some respect. It would last for a couple days or maybe a week and then he was back to his old ways," she was silent again before she got out of her seat and walked over to him.

"You deserved so much better," Artimus said.

She put her arms around him and gave him a kiss on his cheek, "Artimus, you are the one good thing we brought into this world. Your father may never realize it, but I have always known that. You stay up here and you can come down whenever you're ready, I'll take your father home and you won't see him until the funeral."

Artimus wanted to say something to her, but by then she had left and closed the door behind her.

For what seemed an eternity he simply sat there lost in the past, not sure what he should either think or feel.

The phone stirred him from his thoughts and he reached for the receiver.

"Hey, Scott, why are you calling?" Artimus asked as he picked up the receiver and put it to his ear. "Bowman…Artimus Bowman," he said in case this was not Scott and instead a friend of his grandfather's.

"Hello, Colonel Bowman," said the shrewd and cold voice on the other end said. "Seems like only yesterday you were in my restaurant running errands for my nephew."

Artimus froze; this was definitely not Rear Admiral Scott Tolan. Instead, it was the voice of a woman he would have never expected a call from. They had met once three years ago, and he would never forget her voice.

"Mrs. Zeresi, what an unexpected surprise," Artimus said once he finally found his voice.

"I felt the need to call you and pass along my sympathies on the loss of your grandfather. I'd ask how you are doing but that's something that would annoy you to no end," Lydia Zeresi, the leader of the Basileus Crime Syndicate, and Scott and Lacey's aunt, said.

'Just like Scott said, they really are Tolans,' Artimus thought to himself in an amused manner before he said, "Thank you, Mrs. Zeresi; I appreciate that."

"You can stop being so formal, Colonel; you can call me Lydia. When you speak like that, you sound like your grandfather did back when I first met him."

"That's right, you did meet him a long time ago," Bowman said as a revelation began to form in his mind that the characters in the book he was reading were real people. He tried to rationalize the Lydia Zeresi he had met with the woman she used to be when she was a nineteen-year-old college student. It was hard to believe that Lydia Tolan became the Lydia Zeresi he had met that day on Canceron.

"Yes, it was two years before the Cylon War ended. That was at the same time I met my husband."

Artimus' mouth went wide as the second revelation dawned on him, "You and Govie married!"

"Haven't heard him called Govie in quite some time, but yes I married Vincent shortly after the war ended."

"That explains a lot of things about Scott," Artimus said as his mind remembered things about Scott Tolan from the time they met, it would seem his Uncle Vince had taught him what he knew about using his charm.

"Yes it does," Lydia said with a chuckle.

"I never knew who Govie was though, Granddad never mentioned him," Artimus admitted.

"He wouldn't have, the two of them went their separate ways and never spoke to one another till shortly after Archie had been diagnosed with his brain disease. He called Vince out of the blue one day, and the two of them buried their differences and kept in contact until shortly before we got the news."

"Are you going to be at the funeral?" Artimus asked.

"Vince is a bit under the weather, but we plan to be there. He's already told me that he'll take whatever medicines he has to in order to make it. One more thing, Colonel," Zeresi said.

"What would that be?" Artimus asked, though he was afraid it would be something unpleasant considering who she was.

"You don't have to be so worried when we meet this time, last time you let your friend do most of the talking. How is she by the way?"

The one person in the whole universe Artimus Bowman was nervous to discuss was Galit Malka, an MOI agent he enjoyed a brief relationship with. Brief because she was reported killed shortly afterwards.

"Dead!" he replied.

"I'm sorry to hear that. Shame, I liked her."

"She was one of a kind, I doubt I'll never meet another one like her," Bowman said as he once again found his mind searching for a mental image of Galit Malka that he could hold on to.

"I believe you; I'll leave you to your grieving and will see you at the memorial service. Goodnight, Colonel," Lydia said before hanging up the phone.

"Even at a time like this the Basileus finds a way to get a hold of me. Scott, I'm beginning to understand how you feel about your family," Artimus said with an amused chuckle as he picked up his grandfather's journal and prepared to read it once again. It was then that he hesitated and looked around the room.

Bowman scanned the various pictures that his grandfather had kept on the wall of the study; it was an assortment of photographs and items that had been kept for posterity. He saw a photo from six years ago when Archibald Bowman had been inducted into the Colonial Fleet Aviation Hall of Honor, an induction that had come at the personal request of Admiral Stryker himself. There was a commendation from the old Global Defense Department given to Agent Jack Bowman. There was a photo of Bowman taken when he graduated from Abry Military Academy. He wore his formal uniform and looked every bit the model Academy student. There was a virtual Bowman family museum on these walls, a time capsule that spanned generations.

His eyes were inevitably drawn back to the journal and he once again began to read.

**Forty-Two Years Before the Fall:**

**Hades, Canceron:**

"I don't think they know we're here," Vincent 'Govie' Zeresi said when he got close enough to Archibald 'Firefly' Bowman to actually talk to him.

"We've been lucky so far, Govie, but eventually we're going to have to chance going out into the open. I'm telling you now that's not something I'm looking forward to," Bowman admitted.

"I hope Tolan appreciates what we're doing for him," Zeresi said.

"Right," Bowman said skeptically, "My father dealt with the Basileus too, and he told me about it once. If I had thought about it I'd have probably begged to not be sent on this mission."

"Why's that?" Zeresi asked.

"There was one thing my father told me about the Basileus that stuck out in my mind; 'Do not trust them.' They put on the face that most suits the person they're trying to get to do what they want. Sometimes they're friendly; other times they're not. Whatever works."

"When did all this take place?" Mathias Lee asked as he walked up to where the two Colonial Fleet officers stood.

"Something involving Firefly's dad and your employers," Zeresi said before Bowman could stop him.

"What line of work was your father in, Captain Bowman?" Lee asked.

"He worked with the GDD on Caprica. There was a rumor that Carl Tolan and the Basileus were forging an alliance with the remnants of the Soldiers of the One involving weapons. He and his partner were assigned to interrogate a Basileus member who had been arrested. He never had a pleasant view of either, to say the least," Bowman said, as he wondered what effect his words were having on Lee.

"What time is it?" Federico Gravina asked.

Bowman looked at his watch, "16:51, four more hours and we should be able to try leaving."

"If we survive that long without killing each other," Lee said under his breath.

"If that's the best you can do then perhaps you should just stay quiet and wait somewhere on your own," Bowman said, as he grabbed Lee's shoulders to get his attention.

"Like it's my fault you frakked up this mission," Lee said as he swiped Bowman's hands away.

"You think I frakked up this mission, I didn't alert the Cylons to our presence. Damn it, this whole city is infested with them!" Bowman said defensively. "You have a mouth on you, Lee, not much of a surprise considering who you're a thug for," Bowman said. It did not take long for Lee to sucker punch him in the mouth.

"That the best you got?" Bowman asked as he sent a left hook to Lee's jaw that sent the man sprawling backwards into Private John Gilroy.

"You're in enemy territory here, Bowman, and I don't just mean the Cylons," Lee said with the underlying threat clear.

"You might want to remember that, considering I'm your ticket out of here," Bowman said.

"One day we'll settle this and you won't have the Marines or your friend Govie to save your sorry ass," Lee said as he stalked off down the corridor away from the group.

"He's a bastard, a shame we can't just leave him behind," Private Kimberly Trathen said. The Marine had to admit that the deployment to Canceron had left her longing to be back on her home in Tauron City back on Tauron.

"Let's go ahead and move to the other end of this tunnel, I want to be ready to move in four hours," Bowman said as he started walking down the dimly lit tunnel towards what he hoped would be their way out of this godsforsaken city. As for Lee, he hated to admit it but the man was right about one thing. There would come a day where there would be a reckoning between the two men.

**20:51 Hours:**

"I'm ready to kill the lights here in the tunnel," Zeresi said from the control panel that would turn the lights off and open the door.

"Very well, all right team, ready night goggles, and remember to not make any unnecessary noise out there. We don't know if the Cylons are still roaming the area," Bowman said. Each member of the team nodded.

Bowman held up three fingers and silently counted down. As he got to one, there was suddenly the sound of heavy metal footsteps outside of the door. Bowman's heart skipped a beat as he realized there were Cylons on the other side!

"Kill the lights, when the footsteps stop I'll crack the door open and see what is going on," Bowman whispered to Zeresi who quickly hit a button and the lights in the tunnel went out. If it were not for the night-vision goggles, the team would have been lost in pitch-blackness.

Bowman listened as the footsteps receded. He grabbed the handle on the door and slowly slid it open enough for him to poke his head out. If this were a horror movie, he would have been killed by the killer. Instead, he looked and saw that he was looking out of the side of a house and into a backyard. He looked to his right and saw a Centurion barrel through a fence. It was also then that he heard the sound of loud gunfire in the distance. If he was not mistaken it sounded like the Colonial Army was trying to assault part of the city!

Bowman retreated into the corridor and closed the door.

"Well what's going on?" Lee asked.

"It looks like the Cylons have retreated to deal with the Colonial Army. This may be the diversion we need to get out of here!" Bowman exclaimed.

"Perhaps Admiral Stryker pulled some strings to get us a window of opportunity to escape," Zeresi said.

"In that case, Gods love the man for doing that for us. Let's not dwell on that, in five minutes we sneak out of here and to our vehicle so we can get to Fort Neyland and start flying back to Iopolis," Bowman said as he mentally steeled himself for what was about to take place.

**Five Minutes Later:**

"Marines, weapons ready. Don't fire unless you have to," Bowman said as he grabbed his own sidearm and made sure it was ready in case he needed it.

He slowly slid the door opened and stepped out into more darkness, there was no power in the neighborhood and if it were not for night vision, they would have been lost. Bowman's ears listened for the sounds of the Cylon footsteps but, so far, there were none. All he could hear was the rumble of Army artillery and gunfire being exchanged in the distant horizon. It appeared the Cylons were busy preparing to repel a possible incursion by the Colonial forces.

The group travelled the few blocks quietly with no chatter going on in case the Cylons were waiting in hiding for them. Ultimately, they made it to their vehicle and they silently filed in and waited for Bowman to get in the driver seat to start the vehicle up and get them out of there.

**Four Hours Later: **

**Fort Neyland: **

They had taken longer to get to Fort Neyland, mainly because Bowman was driving with the lights off and using his night vision goggles to see where they were going.

"We're here," Bowman said as he parked the vehicle onto the fort's runway.

"You got us here in one piece," Lee said as though he was expecting something different.

"We can thank the Army for drawing the Cylons away like that; otherwise we might have been in for the fight of our lives."

"One we may not have gotten out of," Gilroy said.

"Quietly now, let's get to the Raptor and get out of here," Bowman said as he killed the engine and quietly opened the door.

The rest followed and they made their way to the Raptor. Slowly, the group settled in and Bowman got in his seat and took a deep breath to calm his nerves. He flipped the switches and then engaged the thrusters. With a loud whoosh, the thrusters came to life. The lights and screens flickered to life and the Raptor was ready to fly.

"Alright, let's get this bird airborne," Bowman said as he began to ascend and hopefully he would leave Hades for the last time.

He looked at the horizon and saw the western edge of the city where it appeared a pitched firefight was being waged between the Colonial Army and the Cylons, something of that intensity would explain why the Cylons were committing so many of their forces to that one area.

"Looks like we should have an easy ride out of here," Zeresi said.

"We can hope…" Bowman did not get to say more as tracer fire began to light up the sky near them.

"We have flak and SAMS launching," Zeresi said as he turned his attention to his ECO console to prepare countermeasures.

"Do what you do best, Govie," Bowman said as he navigated his way through the dense field of fire.

He kept his mind focused on his task. If anyone in the cabin spoke to him, he did not hear it; if any sounds were made they simply did not register; and that was what kept him manoeuvring the Raptor like a skilled surgeon with a scalpel. He knifed his way through the streams of flak while Zeresi did his part to keep the SAMs away from the Raptor.

Eventually, the field thinned out until it was non-existent. It was then that Bowman's mental concentration lessened with the knowledge that they had in fact left Hades.

"If we go back the way we came we should be fine. Govie will keep an eye out for any enemy fire sent our way," Bowman said to the group, Zeresi acknowledged and kept his attention on the screen in front of him.

**Six Hours Later:**

Bowman took his time navigating the Raptor through the Canceron landscape, keeping close to the ground so that he would not show up to the Cylons. As he closed in on Iopolis, he became more confident that they had managed to elude the enemy; he was looking forward to landing at Fort Teuton and getting some rest.

"I recommend you set a course for the Tolan residence," Lee said.

"Why would I do that?" Bowman asked with a mix of curiosity and annoyance in his voice.

"It's important that we get this mask to Mr. Tolan promptly. There's a small helipad near the property that you can land on," Lee said.

"Interesting that you didn't tell us about this when we agreed to come down here. It would have saved us a drive," Bowman said.

"Mr. Tolan has trust issues. Besides, the helipad is only there for official business," Lee said as he went back to his seat.

'I really do not like that man," Bowman said in reference to both Lee and Tolan.

It took another forty minutes before they finally landed on the helipad at the northwest corner of the Tolan beach compound.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it's been a pleasure being your pilot today but our flight has come to an end. Please exit the cabin and remember to thank your pilot for getting you here in one piece," Bowman said as he hit the switch to open the cabin door.

**Tolan Residence, Upper Level, Master Bedroom Suite:**

"It looks like they made it in one piece," Maiara Sayen said as she looked out the window.

Carl Tolan walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her, "It looks like I underestimated our Colonial Fleet friends."

"They brought company with them; I see three Marines," Sayen said as he watched the Raptor's occupants exit.

"It looks like they got what I asked for," Tolan said as he saw Lee holding the mask they had recovered from Hades.

"You sound surprised," Sayen commented.

"I am actually, I thought they'd be killed by the Cylons and then I'd negotiate with Stryker from a position of strength."

"If my sister knew what was going on here she'd have even more of a reason to dislike me," Sayen said. Her older sister, Nayeli Sayen, was an officer in the Colonial Fleet. She was a Viper pilot assigned to the battlestar _Courageous_ and did not approve of Maiara's association with the Basileus.

"I guess every family needs one sister to be the good one and one to be bad," Tolan said as he began to kiss Sayen's neck.

"You know I have work to do with that girl we caught," she said as he ran her fingers through Tolan's hair.

"It can wait. We caught her and she's confined to the supply shed on the dock," Tolan said. The girl they had caught had been taken to the dock that led from the house to the nearby beach. It was a shed for the various boats that Tolan had at his disposal.

"When you put it like that, yeah, it can wait and I think Lee can join me too," she said as she pushed Tolan away from the window and onto the bed.

**Tolan Residence, Ground Floor, Entrance Hallway:**

"Where's Mr. Tolan?" Lee asked the man standing at the stairway landing.

"He's involved in a business matter at the moment," DeAndre Trevino said as he glared at the Colonial Fleet officers and the Marines who had accompanied Lee into the house.

"When he's available, make sure he knows that I have the package he requested," Lee said before adding, "Let Miss Tolan know that we'll need accommodations for our three Marine guests."

Trevino nodded and walked up the stairs towards the office area.

"Charming guy," Bowman said.

"He's not much of a people person but he's a valuable member of the Basileus," Lee said as he walked away and opened a door that he promptly entered and closed behind him.

"Govie, you made it!" a voice called out, followed by a rapid staccato of footsteps as Lydia Tolan bounded down the stairs and leaped onto Zeresi. The two began to kiss as she wrapped her legs around his torso.

"Yeah, we all made it," Bowman said hoping that he could get the attention of the couple.

"Yes, I'm glad you made it as well," Lydia said as she turned to the Marines, "I'm sorry I didn't introduce myself; I'm Lydia Tolan."

The Marines told her who they were and after that Lydia was away to get the accommodations ready for the three.

"Nice place," Gravina said.

"This is high-living right here," Gilroy added.

"If it wasn't for the fact that this is a criminal overlord's residence I could like staying here," Trathen said.

"The three of you get some rest, Govie and I have a meeting with Stryker," Bowman said as he and Zeresi made their way up the stairs towards the room that had been assigned to Stryker.

**Admiral Stryker's Quarters:**

"Good work there, you two. From what I gathered, it was a hell of a job flying out of that warzone," Stryker said as he shook hands with both Bowman and Zeresi.

"I admit I had my doubts, but the two of you proved you're one of the best Raptor teams in CSAR," Corman said as he too shook hands with the two men.

"Now that we've done this little errand for Carl Tolan he might be willing to actually sit down and negotiate and stop wasting my time," Stryker said.

"We can only hope, sir," Corman said.

"Indeed, you two get some sleep and in the morning we'll see how things look with Tolan," Stryker said as he dismissed Bowman and Zeresi.

Bowman got in bed but simply could not sleep. His mind was on his family back home. He realized how close he came to losing everything. All so Carl Tolan could have a stupid gold mask that a rival had in his possession. It just seemed as though Tolan was playing around and doing everything he could to sit down and negotiate with Stryker. He thought that maybe a walk to the beach might help him to clear his mind and put him at ease. Truth was, he did not like this colony or the people who seemed to have power of the lives of the ordinary citizens here.

He put on the jeans and button-up shirt that the Basileus had given him, as well as grabbing his service weapon and putting it away in case he would be in need of it. With that, he exited the Tolan residence to walk down the pier that led from the house to an ocean dock. He saw various boats that were tied up to the dock. One seemed to be a speedboat of some kind, there was one that seemed to serve as a deep-sea fishing vessel, and then there was a huge white luxury yacht that was tied up at the end. Carl Tolan had so much wealth that most would be envious of him. Bowman only saw was the toys bought with blood money.

He walked up to the edge of the pier and looked out at the ocean; his thoughts constantly going back to his wife and son on Caprica. His relationship with them had seen plenty of ups and downs since the Cylon War began. He thought about his father and wondered what Jack Bowman would say if he were here to see his son on the property of the man who ran the organized crime on Canceron. The elder Bowman had been a long-time agent with the Caprica Global Defense Department and probably would have had a heart attack if he knew that his son was in the presence if the Basileus and staying in Carl Tolan's house.

"Captain Bowman I presume," a woman's voice said from behind him.

Bowman turned to see a woman with black hair, tanned skin, and brown eyes. She looked to be in her mid to late twenties and had an air of playful dangerousness to her.

"Maiara Sayen, please say hello to Captain Archibald Bowman of the Colonial Fleet," Matthias Lee as he walked out from a darkened area of the pier.

"Well Mr. Lee you seem to be full of surprises," Bowman said as he held his hands behind his back so that he could reach his sidearm if need be.

"I have a problem and I believe you can help me with that," Sayen said as she walked closer to Bowman.

"Somehow I really doubt that," he said as he tried to keep his gaze on both her and Lee.

"Captain, I believe you are just the person she needs help from," Lee said as he walked over to stand by Sayen.

"How's that?" Bowman asked.

"There's a girl who is in my employment by the name of Denise Halliday. She was the girl who was supposed to seduce you and failed miserably. Oddly enough, I found that she threw your suit jacket directly over the hidden camera set up in your room. I have to wonder, just what that could mean," Sayen said in a voice that seemed friendly but had a bit of menace beneath it.

"We think you might have helped her get away from here, and do you know what that means?" Lee asked.

"For the love of the gods, just go ahead and get it out before the suspense kills you," Bowman shot back at the two.

"We tell Carl Tolan what happens, that you helped one of his prostitutes escape to some unknown place, and the negotiations that your Admiral Stryker worked so hard on will fall apart and be for nothing. I just want you to think about that for a moment," Lee said.

Bowman knew that they had him between the proverbial rock and a hard place. The last thing he needed was for these negotiations to be ended in such a controversial way. There was only one course of action and he knew what had to be done. He pulled his sidearm out and sent a bullet into both Lee and Sayen.

Sayen tumbled over the rail and went crashing into the ocean, with the tide in motion her body was soon pulled out into the vast body of water. Lee lay on the ground with a chest wound that was still bleeding.

"Why?" he asked Bowman in a weak voice.

"You were going to endanger these negotiations, I couldn't allow that," Bowman said.

"You…"Lee said before he let out his last breath and passed away.

Bowman searched Lee's clothes and found a gun in a shoulder holster. He took the gun out and placed it in Lee's left hand. The next thing he needed was to see Stryker to let him know what had just happened. As he walked back towards the house he could not help but shake his head in disbelief, "Why couldn't thing be simple?"

_**Battlestar Libran**_** (BS-19): **

**CIC: **

Commander Cristina Davenport stood at the Command and Control Station of the _Libran_'s CIC. It was a medium-sized room, an accomplishment when taking into account that the Libran was a battlestar that had been converted from a warstar that was under construction. Right now, they were on patrol around Canceron with the rest of the battlestars in Fleet Admiral Hood's battlestar task force.

"Anything new, Commander?" Colonel Juliet Francis asked as she strode over to Command and Control.

"Nothing new yet, there have been intelligence reports that the Cylons may try to make a move against us while we're stationed here but it's nothing that I have much faith in. For all I know, it's just more misdirection from the toasters," Davenport said.

"Commander, there's a call coming in Fort Teuton…from Admiral Stryker," the communications officer said with a hint of puzzlement in her voice.

"This could end your boredom," Francis said with a look that gave away her curiosity.

"It just might," Davenport said as she picked up the receiver and motioned for the communications officer to connect the call.

"Admiral Stryker," Davenport said.

"Commander, I require your assistance," Stryker began before adding, "I need to know if your battlestar has an Epsilon team deployed on it."

**Battlestar Libran, EPSILON Quarters:**

Michael Baldwin, Asad Raed, Reginald Rowan, Jay Kenslow, Richard McManus, Damian Clay, Louis Mornu, and Winston Brown were sitting at the table in the Epsilon Quarters playing a friendly game of triad when the hatch swung open and in walked Mark Lambert, the commanding officer of the Special Forces group.

"Sir," Baldwin said as he and his soldiers stood at attention.

"Suit up, you and your people are heading down to the planet," Lambert said.

"Any reason why, sir?" Raed asked.

"Admiral Stryker has personally requested our assistance. I cannot speak for everyone. but for me that's all I need to hear," Lambert said.

"We'll prepare to deploy right away. Where will we be landing?" Baldwin asked.

"You'll be deploying to Fort Teuton in Iopolis. From there you will be under the command of Admiral Stryker," Lambert said as he scanned the room for any reaction before saying, "You are to meet Lieutenant Joseph Bulloch on the hangar deck, he'll be your pilot to the fort. Good hunting down there, gentlemen, I don't know why Stryker requested you but I'm sure he has a damn good reason for it."

**Iopolis, Tolan Residence: **

"Admiral Stryker, I wasn't expecting a call from you," Mayor Kathryn Acosta said groggily from her end of the phone.

"I need your assistance on an urgent matter," Stryker said. He was in his room at the Tolan residence on his mobile phone; the landline was more than likely bugged.

"What is it you need?" Acosta asked.

"I need you to get an ambulance to the Tolan residence immediately to pick up a body to deliver to the morgue. I need it done discretely so that Carl Tolan is not alerted."

"You want me to do something that might get me on the bad side of the Basileus?"

"Mayor Acosta, I had hoped that you would not be under the thumb of the Basileus," Stryker said.

"Of course not but this is Carl Tolan you're talking about. The people live in fear of him and the Basileus."

"I'm not one of those people, it's about time I put some fear in Carl Tolan. Have your people here as soon as possible," Stryker said and he ended the call.

"How do you see this playing out?" Corman asked.

"I'm getting us out of here tonight. When that ambulance takes Lee's body away we'll be going along as well," Stryker said.

"What are you hoping to do with this?" Corman asked as he looked out a window that faced the ocean.

"The main thing is that it's time for me to teach that son-of-a-bitch Carl Tolan a lesson," Stryker said as he took a seat and poured a glass of water. With of what was to come tonight, he did not want to drink something stronger than water.

**One Hour and Twelve Minutes Later:**

"We are in position and ready to move on your order," Michael Baldwin said into his headset.

"Proceed, remember to use non-lethal force on the security guards," Stryker said. In the time since leaving the Tolan residence, he had appropriated a supply van from Fort Teuton that would be used for transporting Carl Tolan to the destination that had been selected.

"We copy, sir, non-lethal force will be used," Baldwin said before saying, "EPSILON, we have a go to enter the Tolan residence."


	7. Chapter 7: Heroes & Villains

**Chapter Seven: Heroes & Villains**

Artimus Bowman could not believe what he was reading; it seemed unreal that he had merely skipped over so much of this story. It put quite a few events from the past into a new focus.

Had his grandfather really killed a man without any sign of remorse? It just seemed to contrast with the man he had grown up knowing. Add to that the actions of Stryker, a man who last year had caused a great amount of controversy.

He began to understand what his grandfather had said about the hatred the man harbored for the Tolans. It seemed that Carl Tolan had left such a deep imprint on the man that the legendary Admiral of the Fleet was willing to do all he could to stop the promotion of his grandson, Scott Tolan, to the rank of Rear Admiral.

He wanted to keep reading to find out what all happened that night on Canceron, his eyes felt tired as though they were trying to force sleep upon him. "You're going to fall asleep in that chair if you're not careful," a voice said from the doorway.

He looked and saw his wife Brooke standing in the doorway, "What time is it?"

"It's going on four in the morning. Everyone has gone to bed except for you; I dozed off on the couch and woke up a few minutes ago. How is it going with the journal?" she asked as she walked up behind her husband and put her arms around his shoulders.

Artimus took a moment to take in the warmth from her arms and took a deep breath, "It's been a journey. I read this and…Well, let's just say I have a new perspective on my grandfather, Admiral Stryker, and Carl Tolan."

Brooke seemed amused, "How could you possibly get a new perspective on Carl Tolan?"

"The man was a gangster who even in a time of war tried to jerk around the Colonial Fleet for his own personal gain. It seems almost everyone in that family had no sense of honor. Knowing that Scott grew up in an organized crime family; I guess it's like those old movies about the crime bosses where it all seemed to be a glamorous sort of lifestyle."

"That's the thing about movies; they seem to do what they can to add glamour to something that has none of it. If it was all so glamorous, then I doubt Scott and Lacey would have been encouraged to distance themselves from the family," Brooke said.

"You've got a point there," Artimus said as he once again found his eyes returning to his grandfather's journal.

Brooke saw this too and gave him a reassuring pat on his shoulder, "I'm going to take a shower and then get some sleep. You finish reading and come join me. I can make that an order if I have to."

"I'll finish this and then I promise I'll see you in bed when I'm done," Artimus said before he added, "I love you, Brooke."

"I love you, too, see you when you're done," Brooke said as she left the room and closed the door behind her.

**Forty-two years before the Fall:**

**Iopolis, Canceron:**

**Iopolis City Morgue:**

Fleet Admiral Jonas Stryker, Captain Archibald Bowman, Lieutenant Peter Corman, and Lieutenant Vincent Zeresi stood in the waiting room by the double doors that led to the entrance to the morgue. There was a reason why this place had been chosen for the meeting, not that everyone would be there for it. Stryker, Bowman, and Corman had agreed to go to the morgue while Zeresi agreed to act as a lookout in case trouble should arrive.

"How much longer until they arrive?" Corman asked.

Stryker checked his watch, "I give them maybe four minutes, tops."

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Bowman asked.

Stryker looked almost amused, "Have some faith, Captain. I've been in tougher situations than this and came out just fine."

The steel security doors on the other end of the room slid open and in walked the members of Epsilon, with their prisoner in tow.

Carl Tolan had his hands tied with flex cuffs and a black hood covered his face. "Who are you, what do you want?" he asked, not sounding quite like the powerful crime boss he had been.

"You don't get to ask questions," Damian Clay said as he delivered a punch to Tolan's gut, causing the man to double over. Tolan slumped to the floor fighting to catch his breath which he achieved with remarkable speed. He was clearly a physically fit man who could take his beatings.

Stryker did not say a word; instead, he motioned for the Epsilon team to follow him. The group moved through the doors and entered a room with a hallway on both sides and a freight elevator on the far wall. The admiral walked over and summoned the elevator. The men stepped onto it and Tolan was shoved inside of it. As soon as the doors closed, Stryker pressed the button for the basement and the elevator began to descend.

The elevator doors opened to reveal a sterile looking room with white tile floors and walls that were a matching white with a lone red stripe running along the middle of the hall. Without saying a word, Stryker stepped off the elevator followed by the entourage of people behind him.

They walked down the hallway and came upon a set of double doors with 'Morgue' stenciled on them in black. Stryker put a hand up for the people behind him to halt and for Bowman to follow him. The two men then walked through the doors and into the room where the bodies of the dead were kept.

"Admiral Stryker, this is still an unexpected surprise," Clyde Bowers said as he moved the slab out of the cold storage container and prepared it for viewing.

"I honestly had no idea this was something I'd have to do tonight, but it's got to be done."

Bowers nodded his head, "I hope you understand why I don't want to be here for this. The less Carl Tolan knows about my involvement the better off I'll be."

"I can see why you feel that way, step into your office and close the blinds. I also want to remind you that this whole affair never happened," Stryker said and once the man was in his office he motioned for Bowman to come over to him.

"This is the moment. How are you holding up?" Stryker asked Bowman before he pulled back the sheet covering the body.

"I'll be fine, sir; the past few hours have been crazy," Bowman admitted, hoping he would not seem weak in front of the admiral.

"I would be worried if you weren't feeling something after all that's happened."

"Let's get this going, I won't lie to you…I've wanted to see Carl Tolan's reaction to this," Bowman said.

"Right," Stryker said as he walked over to the double doors and opened one of them to motion the rest of the group into the room.

When the door was closed, the hood was taken off Carl Tolan's head.

"Good evening, Mr. Tolan," Stryker said coolly.

"What's the point of this, Stryker?" Tolan demanded, it was an alien feeling to the crime boss not to be in charge.

"We'll get to that in just a moment. I wanted to show you something," Stryker said as he pulled the sheet on the body back enough to reveal the face of Matthias Lee.

"Gods, what happened to him?" Tolan asked, he was unable to keep the shock of seeing one of his most trusted lieutenants lying dead before him.

"Mr. Bowman here had an unpleasant encounter with both Mr. Lee and Miss Sayen. It did not end well for either one of them," Stryker said as he tried to get a read on what Tolan was thinking.

"Where is she?" Tolan asked. Maiara Sayen was the head of his public relations department as well as his primary mistress.

"Somewhere in the ocean," Bowman said before Stryker could talk, "she and Lee both were threatening to reveal information to you in order to stall the negotiations further."

"What could they know?" Tolan asked, his eyes were fixed on Lee's body and he seemed unable to tear them away.

"That's not relevant, but they pulled a gun on me and I had to react. Sayen's body tumbled into the ocean and Lee died on the pier near your house," Bowman felt his resolve strengthen, "I don't know how you justify what you do here on this colony but you have crossed a line you should not have crossed."

"What Captain Bowman is saying," Stryker began, "is that you have jerked me around long enough. I came here to negotiate in good faith in an attempt to save this colony from possibly falling to the Cylons. At the moment when the citizens here could use help from your organization, you try to screw me over so you can show how much of a badass you are."

Tolan looked at Stryker but seemed unable to say something to him.

"Let me tell you something," Stryker said as he moved to within inches of Tolan's face, "this man is dead because of you. As for how much of a badass you are, I was doing that in the Aquaria military long before you."

"What happens now?" Tolan asked, finally finding his voice.

"We're going to take a little ride. There's a Raptor on the roof of this building with three Marines waiting for us and we are going to take a trip to work out our differences," Stryker said He nodded his head and the Epsilon team put the hood back over Tolan's head to lead him up to the roof where the Raptor awaited.

**Forty-three Minutes Later:**

_**Battlestar Libran**_** (BS-19):**

**CIC:**

Commander Cristina Davenport and Colonel Juliet Francis were stunned to see Stryker, Bowman, and Tolan enter the CIC under the escort of three Marines.

"Commander Davenport, tell me who is the officer on station in Tactical?" Stryker asked.

Davenport motioned over to Tactical, "Lieutenant Colonel Kevin Dorsey."

"What are you doing, Stryker?" Tolan asked.

Stryker ignored him and simply walked over to Tactical to relay his orders, "Colonel Dorsey, I want you to target these coordinates on the planet's surface. Load a Mark VI Okala missile and fire on my orders."

"Loading Mark VI Okala missile, aye," Dorsey said as he locked in the coordinates.

Tolan's eyes seemed to widen as he saw an image of where the missile was to hit, "Stryker, that's my house, what are you doing?"

"Your daughter Lydia is there asleep in her bed. I think it's about time I brought this war home to you. Maybe a little personal loss might help to improve your thinking," Stryker said in a calm manner.

"This is insanity, no way are you going to fire that at a civilian residence."

"That is a nuclear tipped missile that it going to head straight for your house…now, fire missile!"

"Missile has been launched, Admiral," Dorsey acknowledged.

"How much time until impact?"

"Approximately three minutes, sir."

Tolan looked at Stryker incredulously, "You are an officer in the Colonial Fleet, and you're not going to murder your own people."

"You and your associates are blight on Canceron, this isn't murder so much as doing the citizens down there a favor." Stryker replied.

"Two minutes until impact," Dorsey said.

"Your daughter and your family there in your mansion have only two more minutes to live. What is it going to be, are you going to work with me or are you going to continue trying to jerk me around."

Tolan was quiet, trying to hold on to his cool. It was no good. He knew from the start he was fighting a losing battle and after what felt like an eternity he finally said, "You win..."

Stryker nodded to Dorsey who promptly hit the button to remote detonate the missile while it was in the planet's atmosphere.

"Gravina, escort Mr. Tolan back to the Raptor and tell Lieutenant Zeresi to expect Captain Bowman I there momentarily," Stryker said to Private Federico Gravina who saluted and motioned for Tolan to follow him.

"Permission to speak freely," Bowman requested.

"Granted," Stryker said.

"That was a brilliant move sir, but how did you know he wouldn't know an Okala missile is a dummy drone used for target practice?"

Stryker let out a short laugh, "In truth...I didn't but it seemed like a risk worth taking. Thank you for all you did today Captain, when this is over I'm going to find a way to repay you."

"Thank you sir, but I was just doing my job."

"Yes and you did it well, just don't let Lieutenant Zeresi take you down with him. One day his recklessness will cost him in a way he cannot fathom."

"Understood sir, shall we make our way to the hangar so we can get Tolan to finish these negotiations?"

"Let's do that, the sooner I get this over with the better. I can't help but think that the Tolans can't be trusted..."

**Hangar Deck:**

Bowman walked up to where the Raptor was and there was a part of him that felt he needed to get what was on his mind out in the open instead of allowing it to fester and cause a feeling he had never thought he could feel.

"Govie, do you have a minute?" he asked Lieutenant Vincent Zeresi, his ECO and a man up until now he regarded as one of his closer friends.

"Sure Firefly, what's up?" Zeresi asked, though the demeanour of his friend told him that this would not be a particularly pleasant conversation.

"We need to have a word in private," Bowman said as he motioned for Zeresi to follow him to a corner of the hangar bay where nobody was around.

"What's going on?"

Bowman let out a deep sigh and finally asked, "Are you going to be involved with Lydia, I mean is this going to be more than a one night stand?"

"I don't get it Firefly, I finally find a girl I'm crazy about and all you can think of is how this looks for the way I'm perceived. Lydia is a great girl..."

"She may be but her family isn't. They took a girl who lost her parents when the Cylons revolted and turned her into a prostitute. Carl Tolan, your prospective father-in-law had done things that I can't even comprehend a human being capable of. You can stand there and tell me that you won't get pulled into the Basileus but I know better. That's a family that will pull you in and turn you into some sort of criminal. She's not worth it, and her family connections aren't worth it. All the cubits she has to inherit sure as hell aren't worth it!"

"You really are sanctimonious aren't you? Your dad was with the Global Defence Department on Caprica and you are getting all high and mighty on me! I don't live in your world Bowman, my world had poverty in it and I had to pull myself up to where I wasn't looked down on by everyone on Virgon. You can take your concerns and blow it out of your airlock for all I care!"

Bowman turned and walked away but before he got too far he turned back around, "When we get back to the _Columbia_ we'll go our separate ways, I'm done with it all Govie. That's it."

As he settled into the pilot seat of his Raptor he knew that him and Zeresi had reached a point where things would never be the same between them. There was a certain trust that had to exist between a Raptor pilot and his ECO and that trust was simply not there anymore. For each of them to do their job well they did not need to be in the same Raptor.

Silently Stryker, Tolan, and the Marines entered the Raptor with Tolan looking surprisingly solemn. Zeresi got in his chair in front of the ECO station and minutes later announced that they were cleared for departure.

**Twenty-five Minutes Later:**

**Tolan Residence, Iopolis Canceron:**

Tolan's limousine was waiting for them outside of Fort Teuton, for the military personnel it was an odd sense of déjà vu that was reminiscent of when they first arrived at the fort. The only difference was that Lieutenant Peter Corman was waiting for them by the vehicle that would take them back to the Tolan residence.

None of the people in the car spoke during the trip, the silence was heavy in the limousine as it sped its way towards its destination. When they finally got to the Tolan residence, Stryker was the first out followed by Bowman, Corman, and Zeresi. The Marines followed and they looked around as though there might be a possible trap lying in wait for them.

"Mr. Tolan, let's proceed to your office and resume our negotiations. The rest of you are allowed to stay on the premises and use its facilities as long as you don't cause any trouble."

"That's fine, they can use whatever my house has to offer," Tolan said, sounding less like the arrogant crime boss he was before the trip to the _Libran_.

Bowman walked up the stairs and to his room, closing the door and locking it so that he could be alone. The events of the day weighed heavily on him, from shooting both Lee and Sayen to his falling out with Zeresi.

He picked up the portable phone and sat down in the large chair that was situated in the corner. He had a clear view of the ocean and at least for a moment he allowed himself to admit that the house had a fantastic view. He began pressing the buttons necessary to place his call.

"Hello," the woman said as she answered the phone.

"Hey Mom, I wanted to call and see how you and Dad are," Bowman said trying to sound like he normally would.

"Hey sweetie, we're both fine. How are you?" she asked.

"I'm doing well, just have some downtime and wanted to call and talk to you and Dad," he said. He knew he could not tell them what was really going on, though a part of him wanted to get it off of his chest.

"You must be on shore leave then, can I ask where you're at?"

"I'm on Canceron at the moment, just taking in the sights here in Iopolis."

"Have you seen a lot there so far?"

"I've seen enough of this place to last me a lifetime...is Dad nearby?"

"He's in the living room watching a movie, give me a moment and I'll get him."

"Thanks Mom."

"Sure thing Archie," Emma Bowman said before she sat down the phone and went to get her husband.

There was a short silence broken by the fumbling sound of someone handing the phone over.

"Archie, your mom says you're down on Canceron," Jack Bowman, a man who had spent most of his life in the Global Defense Department before it was disestablished after the founding of the Colonial Ministry of Justice, said when he picked up the phone.

"Yeah, I got shore leave so I thought I'd come down here and check the place out."

"Listen, I want you to watch out for the Basileus. I dealt with them in the past and they're everywhere down there."

"Yes sir, I'll make sure to keep an eye out for them."

"Good, the last thing Carl Tolan wants is for me to come there and kick his ass because one of his thugs tried to mess with you."

"Sounds like you know about him."

"He and I have never actually met but there was one time during my GDD days…let's just say he tried to give me a permanent early retirement."

"I never knew about that, what happened?"

"It was something I told your mother about and we both decided at the time it was best to not tell you. I was part of a group transporting two prisoners, one of whom was a Basileus higher-up, when our van was ambushed. We survived but surviving the assassins he sent after us was our own personal walk through hell."

Bowman thought about his wife and son, "I can't imagine Claire not having me around…as for Steven, well you know about that situation."

"He's a teenager and angry at the world, he'll survive it just like you did. Perhaps when this war with the Cylons comes to an end there'll be a chance to patch things up between you two."

"Maybe, listen Dad I have to get going but when I get some shore leave I'll come to Caprica to see the two of you."

"Sounds like a plan to me, stay safe out there Archie. Don't forget that you have to watch out for the Basileus while you're there on Canceron."

"Will do Dad, bye," Bowman said as he ended the call and placed the receiver back into its cradle.

He felt a new wave of anger at Carl Tolan. The man had tried to kill his father; the thought that his mom would have been a widow caused his temper to rise to the point where it was a good thing Tolan had a security escort with him. Otherwise, Bowman knew he would have found himself in the brig.

It was then that Bowman promised himself that when he left Canceron after this he would make sure he never stepped foot on the colony again.

**The Next Day:**

The two men had been up all through the night negotiating the finer points of the deal that would have the Basileus aiding the Colonial Army and the Colonial Marines in the planned 'Canceron Blitz' that would hopefully dislodge the Cylons from the colony's major cities.

The group had assembled outside of the Tolan residence. They would once again travel to Fort Teuton, only this time the Colonial Fleet officers would be travelling back to the _Columbia_ while the Marines would be sent back to their unit with the thanks of Fleet Admiral Stryker.

"I'm still amazed you were able to get Tolan to agree to your terms," Corman said.

"As much as I hate to use the cliché, I made him an offer he couldn't refuse. There was a lot of give and take but we have an agreement so now we can start planning the blitz that's been developed."

"Where are you heading to now Corman?" Bowman asked.

"Well Admiral Stryker has offered me a position on his staff and I intend to take it. I didn't have to think twice about it at all," Corman said as he opened the door to the limousine for Stryker to enter.

"I'll be glad to be back on the _Columbia_ doing CSAR missions," Bowman said as he settled into his seat.

"You've been an asset to me Captain Bowman, one day I hope I can repay you for what all you've done to help with this mission," Stryker said.

**Battlestar **_**Columbia:**_

Bowman sat at the table in the middle of the room where the pilots had their racks at. He looked at his journal and thought for what all he could put down in it. He thought about what all had transpired since Fleet Admiral Jonas Ingram Stryker had boarded the _Columbia_ and selected him and Zeresi for the mission to Canceron. As crazy as it may have sounded, his mind was blocked at the moment and it seemed he could not put the pen to the paper and put his thoughts down in print.

He simply wrote that perhaps after all that had taken place the one thing he needed more than anything was a chance to get some sleep in his own rack. After writing that it was exactly what he did, pulling the privacy curtain to and allowing his mind to drift off to sleep.

**Three Years before the Fall of the Colonies:**

**Delphi, Caprica, Residence of Archibald and Claire Bowman: **

There in his grandfather's study, with the entire household asleep except for him, Artimus closed the journal and set it down on the desk. He leaned back in the swivel chair and ran his fingers through his hair. He wanted desperately to make sense of what all he had just read, and mentally he kicked himself for having barely skimmed the entry so he could say he had read the whole journal and understood what it was like to serve in a time of war. How different would his friendship be with Scott and Emily Tolan if he truly knew the kind of man Carl Tolan was; would he have given the man's grandson a chance or would he have done like so many others and painted an image with the broadest brush possible? Would Lacey Tolan be his honorary niece or would he even have gotten the chance to get to have her in his life? The questions ran through his mind faster than he had thought they would.

It had been over a year ago when Archibald Bowman, his grandfather, had been diagnosed with Elsworth Disease. The degenerative brain disease had ravaged the mind of the man and he had lasted only as long as he had because of the Tolans using their money to pay for the treatments that were said to have been on the cutting edge of medical science. It had all been for naught, and Artimus wondered if Scott had to use the Basileus' money to help pay for that. If he had done that then was there a price that Lydia Zeresi, the leader of the Basileus, had extracted from her nephew in exchange for the money.

The thought came to him that the actions of his grandfather spoke volumes about the kind of man he was. Admiral Stryker was never able to forgive Carl Tolan for the actions that had taken place during the mission. As a result of that, the legendary Colonial Fleet officer kept a strong hatred for the Tolan family. The hatred was so strong that when Scott Tolan came up for promotion to flag rank last year Stryker was there to try to use all of his influence to block the promotion. The whole incident from the previous year was still very fresh in his mind.

Archibald Bowman may have been hesitant at first when he met Scott Tolan, but eventually came to see that he was not the second coming of Carl Tolan. That was perhaps one of the key differences between him and Stryker. Artimus never heard Scott talk about it, but he was sure his friend felt relieved to have not been judged by the actions of his crime lord grandfather. Something Artimus was sure rarely happened.

He looked at the cover of the journal again but this time the letters seemed to be blurred. His mind tried to comprehend but instead it seemed as though his mental processes had slowed down considerably. Perhaps it was time for him to get some sleep. He had been in the journal for hours now in a sort of private communion with the memory of his grandfather. Perhaps tomorrow he would read more of the journal or maybe he would just spend the time with Brooke and his family. His mind gave him a last thought as he walked out of the study and closed the door; it was at times like this when he was glad to have his family and the friendship of the Scott and Emily Tolan.

He navigated the darkened hallway without having to turn on any of the lights, one of the advantages of knowing the layout of the house like the back of his hand, and found the door to the guest room that he and Brooke were staying in.

Opening the door he caught the form of Brooke underneath the bed, the glow of the digital numbers on the nightstand clock giving a faint illumination to her face. He got under the covers and wrapped his arms around his wife, holding her close to him. He had a feeling that if she was asleep it was a light sleep so more than likely he would end up waking her up whenever he got into bed with her.

She stirred and opened her eyes, "Glad you could make it."

He stroked her cheek with his hand, "The more I thought about it the more sense it made for me to fall asleep here with you instead of in Granddad's chair in the study."

Brooke leaned in and kissed him on the lips, "You chose wisely."

"I know I've told you before, but I'm glad you're here. I can't imagine going through this without you," he said as he began to drift off to sleep.


	8. Chapter 8: Saying Farewell

**Epilogue: Saying Farewell**

**Three Years Before the Fall**

**Kios, Picon: **

**Colonial Fleet Headquarters, George R. Carnac Administration Building:**

Rear Admiral Scott Tolan entered the office and came to attention, "Rear Admiral Tolan reporting as ordered."

"At ease, Tolan," Admiral Peter Corman said before adding, "I heard you volunteered to give the eulogy at the funeral of Archibald Bowman."

Tolan nodded. "He was the grandfather of my friend; I would rather be the one to do it instead of some flag officer who did not know the man."

"A noble gesture; did you know that I once served with him briefly back during the war? We were on a mission back on your home turf. At the time he actually outranked me, but as fate would have it he left the service and returned to civilian life after the war ended."

"Most of the personnel did, if I recall correctly from the books I read," Tolan said though he wondered what the point of this meeting was.

"There will be two people there for the funeral. One is Lieutenant Colonel Lloyd Thomas, known as 'The Black Devil' during the Cylon War. The other is Elizabeth Stryker, the widow of Fleet Admiral Jonas Stryker. Considering the events of last year during your confirmation hearing I wanted to give you a heads-up, you should give them a wide berth. I would prefer to not have an incident during the funeral or the graveside service."

"That won't be a problem, sir, I'll be sure to give both of them a wide berth."

"As I would have expected you to do. Have a safe trip to Caprica. The Bureau of Ships will be in good hands while you're away," Corman said as he stood and offered a handshake to Tolan.

Tolan saluted and then shook hands with Corman, "Thank you for the opportunity sir, I greatly appreciate it."

**Delphi, Caprica: **

**Artimus and Brooke Bowman's Residence: **

The rays of the early morning sun broke through the shades of the bedroom, filling it with its bright natural light.

Artimus Bowman looked over his reflection in the mirror and did an inspection of his Dress Grays. It had been four days now since the death of his grandfather and today was the day of the funeral. Last night along with his family, he had stood in the receiving line at Bridges Funeral Home to greet the people who had come out to pay their respects to the late Lieutenant Colonel Archibald Bowman. Now was the day that the mortal remains of his grandfather would make the journey to the cemetery. He looked down at the brown leather sash that was adorned with the various commendations he had earned during his career. They were not as numerous as his grandfather's had been, but he was proud of them nonetheless. He had the Advanced Tactical Training pin that his friend, Rear Admiral Scott Tolan, had given him three years ago. Tolan had learned that Artimus had been rejected for A.T.T. training; he was correcting the error.

There was a conversation going on in the living room between the three women who were sitting in there talking in hushed tones. A part of his mind wondered what was being said between his wife Brooke, Emily Tolan, and his honorary niece Lacey Tolan.

"Y'know, common wisdom says that if a group of women are talking there is something being plotted," he called out from the bedroom.

There was quiet at first and it was then that Brooke appeared in the doorway, "Do you think we're plotting something against you?"

He made eye contact with her and smiled, "Knowing you, it wouldn't surprise me. After all the three of you have been angels to me these past few days, you should have a little mischief to let off some steam."

She walked up to him and put her hands on his chest. "There's no other place the three of us would rather be than here with you."

Artimus held her hands and gave them a gentle squeeze. "These past few days would have been even worse if it hadn't been for you, Em, and Lace."

"Glad to know we did our jobs well," Brooke said and then she was quiet before she said, "Scott called; at the moment he's still on Picon."

"What?" Artimus asked. If he got on a high-speed transport then there was a chance his friend could be here for the funeral.

"It seems he's been summoned for a meeting with Admiral Corman that was almost a half hour ago. He said he'd call when he was done."

"Do you think he's going to be here in time?"

"I've known him for a shorter time than you, but I know he's a man who keeps his promises. He'll be here," she said.

The sound of a phone ringing echoed from the living room. Emily Tolan answered it and began talking to the person on the other end. Artimus and Brooke listened to see what direction the conversation was taking.

Emily appeared in the doorway still holding the phone, "Scott just called me. He's out of his meeting with Corman and he'll be on his way here on the next transport out of Picon."

"Did he say what the meeting was for?" Brooke asked.

"Something about some loose ends he needed to tie up before he turned command of the Bureau of Ships over to a Commander Patrick Bennett."

"That's Scott for you; always trying to make sure the loose ends are tied up. If it was someone from his family besides Lace saying that I'd be worried about somebody's life," Emily joked.

"I heard it on good authority that your Aunt Lydia is going to be there," Artimus said to Lacey.

"That shouldn't be too much trouble for me," Lacey said with a smile that Artimus was sure was a polite one she used for uncomfortable situations.

**Five Hours Later:**

The Areneu Temple in downtown Delphi was the sight of a gathering of men and women of varying ages, all there with one single purpose. They had arrived at this time to pay tribute to a man each had known in some way during their lives. The family had the first rows of seats, with the military and friends assigned to various rows behind. A casket sat before them, draped with the flag of the Colony of Caprica. On top of it, sat a framed photographed of man with eyes full of life and a smile that seemed infectious.

The quiet was broken by the sound of footsteps coming down the aisle. A tall, well-built man made his way down towards the area where the casket lay. His blue eyes fixed firmly ahead and his face set in a serious expression. He paused briefly to look at the casket then turned on his heel and made his way to the podium. He wore his Dress Grays, much like Artimus he had gone so far as to fix the decorations he had earned during his career with the Colonial Fleet. He took a moment to survey the room before his eyes rested on the family sitting in the front rows on the left and right. His eyes settled on one of the family members and the two made eye contact. The two shared a slight nod and for a moment the man's face softened and he let a sad smile show before going back to his more stoic expression.

"I am Rear Admiral Scott Tolan of the Colonial Fleet. I come here as the representative of the Admiralty and the Colonial Fleet. We are all here for one purpose; to remember the life of a man who touched us all. Lt. Colonel Archibald Bowman served the Twelve Colonies in a time of its greatest peril; to those who knew him he set a fine example of what the people of Caprica were capable of. He was a friend, a soldier, a father, a husband, and many more things to other people. I also knew him ever-so-briefly through my friendship Artimus Bowman, his grandson."

Tolan stopped a moment before continuing. "There are others who would call Colonel Bowman their savior, due in large part to his job as a Combat and Rescue Raptor Pilot during the Cylon War. When I was preparing this speech. I did some research and came across people who owed their lives to this man whose life we have come to commemorate today. I heard from a pilot from the battlestar _Athena _who was rescued by Archibald Bowman. The man said if it had not been for Bowman, the Cylons would have killed him in due pilot from the_Columbia _told me that he went into battle knowing that if he needed to be rescued then Bowman would be there. Other pilots from such battlestars as the___Delphi_, _Libran_, _Gemenon_, _Victorious_, _Pythia_, and many others who could testify to this man's bravery. I could go on but the fact is that Bowman went where few pilots dared; he was fearless in the face of adversity. He was a pilot who set the gold standard for those who followed him. The Colonial Fleet Distinguished Service Medal, the Silver Lifesaving Medal, the Canceron Campaign Medal, the Virgon Star, the Gemenon Order of Merit, the Caprica Order of Gallantry, and the Colonial Fleet Medal of Valor are examples of the kind of service he gave the Colonial Fleet.

Tolan again looked over to Artimus; both his wife Brooke and his own wife Emily surrounded him. Artimus was wearing his 'game face' and was trying to show as little emotion as possible. At least he had his wife and one of his dearest friends there to comfort him at this hour. Brooke held her husband's hand and Emily had her hand on his shoulder giving it a reassuring squeeze.

Tolan did not want to drag this out longer, "I would like to say to my friend Artimus and his family that the worlds are less for the loss of this man. From the Admiralty, I would like to tell Colonel Bowman, rest now, soldier, your job is done. I would also like to add that there are many people you saved who owe you their lives and never forgot that. I thank you for that on their behalf."

He gave a nod, and an honor guard approached and assumed positions around the casket. Picking it up with their gloved hands, they carried it past the now-standing crowd. When they had left the temple, Tolan walked up to where Claire Bowman, Artimus' grandmother, sat. He offered her his hand to help her up, and then offered her his arm, which she took. He then escorted her out of the temple and to the limousine that waited behind the hearse that would carry her husband to his final resting place.

The long procession of cars left the temple and made their way through the Caprican countryside to Cedar Ridge Cemetery. There Archibald Bowman would arrive at his final resting place. The plot had been arranged for quite some time. To the left were the graves of Jack and Emma Bowman, Archibald's parents, and this place by their side was where his mortal remains would be put to rest at. It had been a year earlier when he had come to this cemetery when Caitlyn Watson, one of Artimus' former squad mates in the Blue Raptor Display Team, had passed away. Instinctively he looked towards the spot where her grave was located. Now here he was again this time it was watch his grandfather being laid to rest.

The honor guard did their part and brought the casket to the grave. The head of the guard folded the flag and handed it to Tolan. He in turn brought it to Claire Bowman and told her that he was presenting the flag on behalf of a grateful nation. Then there were the shots fired for the twenty-one gun salute and the sound of taps being played.

With the ceremony over the crowd dispersed and most mingled to give their condolences to the family. Tolan was staying off to the side not wanting to get in the way. He turned to take in the view. He focused on a headstone that read 'Rebecca Elizabeth Bailey' and in writing underneath it was 'Becky'.

A tap on his shoulder brought him out of his thoughts and there in dress grays was Artimus Bowman.

The two were silent, not sure what to say to each other. Finally, Artimus broke it. "If I'm not mistaken you drew the short straw out of the admirals?"

Tolan gave one of his trademark grins. "Well, let's just say I volunteered for this particular duty."

Artimus gave him a quizzical look. "You 'volunteered' for this?"

Tolan looked away as if he was trying to rephrase his statement. "Well more like I demanded that I be given this assignment."

"You demanded to give the eulogy at a funeral? You do realize most people are afraid of doing that?"

Tolan put an arm on his shoulder, "You're one of my closest friends, Artimus; it's the least I can do for you at a time like this."

"Colonel Bowman." a man said as he walked up to where the two officers were standing.

"Commander Ramsay," Artimus said as he recognized the man. Commander Munroe Ramsay was the officer who was in charge of Vaught-Hemmingway Fleet Air Station in Oxford, Caprica where Artimus had just recently finished a tour of duty as a Raptor instructor pilot.

"I'm sorry for your loss, your grandfather was quite the man from what all I read about him," Ramsay said.

"Thank you, sir," Artimus said.

"Colonel Bowman," a woman said as she walked up to where the two men stood.

"That would be this man right here," Tolan said as he pointed to Artimus.

"You'll have to forgive my high-ranking friend here, now that he's given the eulogy he wants to try stand-up comedy," Artimus said.

"I met your grandfather, and I can only imagine what he thought at first that his grandson would know the grandson of Carl Tolan."

"I take it you're from Canceron?" Tolan asked, something about this woman and the look she gave him made him feel more than a little uncomfortable.

"For part of my life I was…until I met Archibald Bowman. He allowed me to escape to Caprica and start my life over again," she said. Instead of the hardened look she gave Tolan, she had a decidedly sweeter look that she gave Artimus.

"Denise Halliday," Artimus said as he remembered the young woman from his grandfather's journals.

"I haven't been called by that name in some time. When I left Canceron and arrived on Caprica, Claire took me in until I was able to get on my feet. I moved to a small town named Oasis and made my home there. I married after college and started a family. Your grandfather said the money he gave me to get off Canceron was well spent. I owed him a debt I could never repay, but I tried my best."

"Denise, I know what you went through back on Canceron. I had wondered what happened to you after I read about what Granddad did for you."

"He helped me break free from the Basileus. When I think of my life on Caprica I know that if he hadn't have done what he did then I'd be in an even worse place on Canceron," she saw that Scott Tolan had walked away to look at some of the headstones in the distance. "I honestly don't know how I should feel towards Admiral Tolan."

"He's not Carl Tolan if that's what you're wondering about. I think the less he's on Canceron the better he is."

"I suppose…I wanted to come here to thank your grandfather once again and to let you know that he was a special kind of man," Halliday said before walking off to where her family was standing.

'You'd be proud of her,' Artimus thought before he noticed two people walking towards him. "If you'll excuse me, I have more visitors coming this way."

He looked and saw an older man and woman coming towards him, the man in particular seemed to be only able to walk with the use of a gold-plated cane.

"Of course, Colonel, I just wanted to pass along my sympathies for your loss and let you know your grandfather was someone to look up to," she said before turning to walk away.

"Hello, Colonel Bowman," the woman said as she got close enough for him to hear her, "I'm Elizabeth Stryker and this is Lieutenant Colonel Lloyd Thomas."

"Mrs. Stryker and Colonel Thomas, it's an honor to meet both of you."

She smiled, "The pleasure is ours, and your grandfather apparently saved both the lives of my late husband and Colonel Thomas."

"My grandfather had kept a journal from the Cylon War. I know about the mission to Canceron," Artimus admitted.

"That was an unfortunate chapter to the Cylon War and one I know Jonas regretted."

"I know he was surprised when Admiral Stryker pushed for his induction into the Hall of Honor," Artimus said. It was Admiral Stryker and his considerable influence that got Archibald Bowman enshrined into the Colonial Fleet Aviation Hall of Honor on Picon.

"Yes, he felt that with the impressive number of rescues during the war he would make for a great addition to the Hall, plus he always felt that he owed your grandfather for making sure he got off of Canceron alive."

Artimus looked and saw Brooke waving to him. "If you'll excuse me, my wife is trying to wave me over to where she is."

"Of course, Colonel, and if there is anything we can do for you don't hesitate to ask," she said as her and Thomas started back to where their chauffeured car waited for them.

When Artimus got to the graveside, Brooke put her arms around him and gave him a hug. "How are you holding up?"

"With you and the Tolans here I think I've held up better than I thought I would."

"That's the advantage of having people who care about you the way we do, though to be honest, I probably care for you more than the others. I'm sure it's got something to do with the fact that I'm your wife," Brooke said as she took a hold of Artimus' hands.

"I was just thinking about the time Granddad got inducted into the Aviation Hall of Honor. There he was receiving this honor that many would have given anything for, and he was so humble about it. I have to admit I was surprised the Hall sent flowers and a group of representatives here for the memorial."

Brooke smiled, "He touched many lives during his lifetime and I think today bears testament to all the good he did."

Artimus saw Brooke looking off in the distance and noticed Scott and two other people coming towards him. "I believe you're going to meet Scott's Aunt Lydia and Uncle Vince."

"I take it you've met the two of them before?" Brooke asked.

Artimus shook his head. "I met Lydia but I have not had the pleasure of meeting her husband."

"Allow me to introduce you to my aunt and uncle, Lydia and Vincent Zeresi," Tolan said as he made the introductions.

"Mrs. Zeresi, it's a pleasure to meet you once again," Bowman said as he exchanged a handshake with the pair.

"When did you and Lydia meet?" Zeresi asked.

"It was about three years ago, I made a stop on Canceron and I ended up having a friendly chat with her at the restaurant she owns," Artimus said and he knew he was leaving out the other details.

"I see. I remember your grandfather well; we were quite the team back on the _Columbia_. Firefly and Govie to the rescue! I know it was a shame that it took all these years for us to reconnect but I'm glad we got to settle our differences before it was too late."

"I know that must have meant a lot to Granddad as well," Artimus said as he tried to reconcile the old man before him with the youthful ECO he had read about in the journal.

"If you are ever on Canceron you are welcome to visit us any time and if you ever need anything at all know that I will be happy to help. After all, you are a friend of my nephew as well as Firefly's grandson," Lydia said as both her and her husband turned and walked away.

"I'm going to see them off," Tolan said as he turned to and headed in the direction of his aunt and uncle.

Artimus looked at the plot of ground where his grandfather's remains would rest and he felt a slight chill run through his body. He felt a hand on his shoulder and he turned to see his wife staring at him with those loving eyes of hers.

"I know Emily and Lacey have done plenty to help out during this time but truth is I couldn't have made it through all of this if you hadn't have been there for me," Artimus said as he pulled her close and embraced her.

"I'd be a terrible wife if I weren't here for you during this, and you know that you also have your friends here. I know both Emily and Lacey care about you as though you were family. I just happen to love you more than the rest," she said with a smile.

Artimus thought about the rollercoaster ride that he had been on since he had heard about his grandfather's death on the battlestar _Cerberus_. He could not be prouder of the man who had been more of a father to him than a grandfather. Over these last few days, he had managed to learn things about the man and his life that he had been unaware of, and in that moment he realized how grateful he was to be the grandson of Lieutenant Colonel Archibald 'Firefly' Bowman.

**Authors Note: **

**It was my hope that this story would serve to help flesh out various characters of mine, such as Admiral Stryker and the Tolan family, as well as provide a glimpse into life from before the Fall of the Colonies along with a glimpse into Colonial society during the Cylon War.**

**I hope this provides a satisfactory close to the story, and I hope everyone who has read it has enjoyed it. I would like to take the opportunity to thank my friend Tony Wilkins, aka The Wilky Bar Kid, for providing me the chance to use the characters of Artimus and Brooke Bowman. For those who have yet to check out his 'Battlestar Hermes' series I recommend doing so. His story 'No Business Like It' takes place immediately before the events of this story and is a fun read.**

**I also want to thank Allen Knott for providing me with feedback on the story as it progressed and to Pam Barker for her wonderful job of editing this last chapter. **

**Once again, I want to thank all who have read this story!**


End file.
